Covax Cuts North Korea Vaccine Allocation
A sharp reduction has hit the amount of Covid‑19 shots earmarked for the hermit kingdom. What once looked like a generous 8.11 million doses has now slumped to a more modest 1.54 million. The change comes as the country has yet to ship any of the promised jabs.
Why the Numbers Dropped
- Covax is shifting from fixed quotas to needs‑based distribution this year.
- North Korea has shown no clear intent to import the vaccines — the doses are now basically on hold.
- A UN children’s agency dashboard (Unicef) confirms the new figure.
What North Korea Says
According to a Gavi spokesperson, the initial allotment “was based on technical considerations to help the country catch up with global immunisation targets in 2022, should the government decide to roll out Covid‑19 shots as part of its national response.” Gavi has said it’s still in talks with Pyongyang to push the program forward.
The Ongoing Talk
Last year, North Korea blocked shipments of AstraZeneca and even turned down a generous offer of 3 million doses from China’s Sinovac Biotech. Yet there are rumors that key border officials may have quietly gotten vaccinated on the inside.
North Korea’s Pandemic Strategy
While officials proudly claim no coronavirus cases, many countries – from South Korea to the United States – remain skeptical. The nation’s close‑off stance becomes clear when you remember that it was the first to shut its borders in 2020, only opening a few trains across the China border just last month.
Official Stance vs Reality
- North Korea’s parliament approved a 33.3 % increase in pandemic spending this year.
- The premier, Kim Tok Hun, declared: “The emergency epidemic prevention work will be the top priority of state affairs. We will intensify our epidemic prevention walls.”
