The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Tuesday that it has secured additional Covid-19 vaccines for inoculating 23 million more people from Novavax and Pfizer. 

Under the additional deals, Novavax will ship vaccines for 20 million people to arrive here by the second quarter. Pfizer will also provide vaccines for three million more people on top of 10 million purchased last year, adding up to a total of 13 million, the KDCA said.

With the recent agreements, Korea has secured enough vaccines to immunize 79 million people.

Pfizer’s vaccine, which is expected to arrive by the end of March, is under review by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and the country plans to use it from April once regulators approve.

On Feb. 12, Novavax agreed to transfer the technology of its vaccines to SK Bioscience for production. Novavax’s Covid-19 shot is a protein-based vaccine widely used to prevent diseases including hepatitis B and pertussis, which is different from those developed by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Janssen.

It will be the first protein-based Covid-19 vaccine made and used in Korea for the national immunization program.

“Novavax’s vaccine, which can be produced in Korea, will contribute to the nation’s stable vaccination amid growing uncertainties in the supply chain worldwide,” KDCA Commissioner Jung Eun-kyeong said. “We have secured vaccines for 79 million people so far, and we plan for early supply and vaccination.”

The government will begin vaccination on Feb. 26 for people working or hospitalized at nursing homes, using the AstraZeneca vaccines. However, it will hold off giving the AZ vaccines to people aged 65 or older until further data on safety and efficacy arrives from the British-Swedish company.