North Korea refuses to accept nearly 3 million doses of Koxing vaccine, saying it should be provided to countries that need it more

• North Korea rejected about 3 million doses of China’s Sinovac Biotech vaccines, demanding that they be sent to countries that need them more.
• Due to the possibility of rare but severe blood clots, this isolated country has previously rejected nearly 2 million AstraZeneca vaccines.
• To date, the country has reported zero Covid-19 cases, but strict restrictions and strict border closures have been implemented.
• Visit Business Insider SA’s homepage for more stories.

UNICEF said on Tuesday that North Korea has rejected about 3 million doses of China’s Coxing Biotechnology vaccines and requested that they be sent to other countries more severely hit by the coronavirus. Voice of America (fly).

UN children’s agency coordinated vaccine shipments under the Convention The COVAX project supported by the United Nations, To ensure that poorer countries do not fall behind in the Covid-19 vaccination race.

“The DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) stated that in view of the limited global Covid-19 vaccine supply, the 2.97 million doses of vaccine provided by COVAX to North Korea may be transferred to countries severely affected by the epidemic. And in some countries There are frequent surges,” a UNICEF spokesperson told VOA in an email on Tuesday.

The spokesperson added: “MOPH has indicated that it will continue to communicate with COVAX facilities to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in the next few months.”

Earlier this year, COVAX planned to ship nearly 2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to North Korea. However, these batches were rejected in July due to concerns about the rare but severe incidence of thrombosis among vaccinated people. Reuters.

The National Institute for Security Strategy (INSS) stated that the isolated kingdom is also skeptical about the efficacy of vaccines made in China. Yonhap NewsThe South Korean think tank said that North Korea prefers Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, but hopes to provide it for free.

North Korea has reported zero Covid-19 cases, but experts say Express doubt The accuracy of their numbers. In June, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un criticizes North Korean officials Because they were “long-term irresponsible and incompetent” in dealing with the pandemic, this suggests that the virus may have reached the country.