Jerusalem: Israel sent 700,000 doses of Coronavirus vaccine to South Korea in exchange for vaccines in the future from South Korea to Israel.
Under the agreement, Israel will transferred the Pfizer vaccine to South Korea in an effort to analyzen more Asian citizens this month.
South Korea will send the same number of doses to Israel in early September, officials added.
“This is a Win-Win agreement,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in his statement.
The agreement will “reduce the hole” in the availability of vaccines.
Jung Eun-Kyeong, the expert of South Korea’s infectious disease, confirmed the deal.
He said the Seoul government would continue to pursue swap transactions with other countries.
“We hope to have sufficient number of vaccines during the fourth quarter while we continue with our vaccination campaign,” Jung said, the director of the Korean disease control and the Prevention Board.
The two countries reported a new infection surge, with South Korea topping 700 new Covid-19 cases for the fourth day in a row on Tuesday.
Israel saw the most recent infection in three months, with a Delta variant pushing the trend, the government said.
Both governments consider how to curb the spread of the virus.
South Korea has so far given the first dose to only 30% of the population.
Israel has entirely vaccinated nearly 5.3 million people from a population of 9.3 million.
Bennett said the agreement, who personally negotiated with the CEO of Pfizer Albert Burla, was the first of its kind between Israel and other countries.
Israeli vaccines still need to be tested after their arrival in South Korea, he added.
The agreement came a few weeks after the Palestinian Authority, which had limited autonomy on the occupied West Bank area, called an agreement to receive 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine from Israel.
Palestinians argue that vaccines are too close to expiration and do not meet their standards.