South Korea approves its first homemade Covid vaccine for people aged above 18

Vaccine appreared to be more effective than AstraZeneca in generating immune response in trials

File photo: People receive the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Seoul on 28 July (AP)

The South Korean government has approved the country’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine for people aged 18 and above in a major step towards vaccine sovereignty in Seoul’s fight against the pandemic.

The two-dose SKYCovione vaccine, developed by SK Bioscience, was approved after it successfully completed all three phases of its clinical trial and appeared to be more effective than AstraZeneca jabs, according to officials at the country’s Food and Drug Safety Ministry.

The third phase of trial was conducted in Thailand, Vietnam, New Zealand, Ukraine, the Philippines and South Korea.