Many countries are restricting the overseas shipments of Covid-19 vaccines amid rising “vaccine nationalism,” but Korea seems to be an exception, industry watchers said Friday.

Reflecting the trend among countries to secure vaccines for their people, the European Union has strengthened the controls of vaccines produced in the EU, including the AstraZeneca vaccine.

On Jan. 30, faced with a vaccine shortage, the EU required pharmaceutical companies to receive approval from member states when exporting vaccines produced in the region. Despite the control, the EU’s vaccine shortage has continued, forcing its commission to tighten export regulations.

Another global vaccine manufacturer, India, has also paused exporting AstraZeneca vaccines produced in the nation to inoculate its citizens first. The export ban is expected to last until April.

The situation is little different in the U.S., as President Joe Biden has yet to withdraw the Trump administration's order that declared Americans should receive first the vaccines made in the country.

In contrast, Korea has been sending out homemade AstraZeneca vaccine to foreign countries according to previous contracts.

Brazil is one of the countries that have received the AstraZeneca vaccine made in Korea. The Ministry of Health of Brazil said Monday that the country received about 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by SK Bioscience.

Iran's Ministry of Health Heidar Mohammadi also said on Monday that it would import 3.1 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Korea.

Taiwan, which has successfully managed the pandemic, also began vaccinating 60,000 healthcare providers with shots imported from Korea.

“Keeping good faith with foreign partners may be important,” an industry executive said on condition of anonymity for privacy. “Considering that the nation’s vaccination rate is ranked at nearly 100th out of about 150 countries, however, the health authorities may have to rethink the overall situation.”