South Korea’s Central Pharmaceutical Affairs Council has authorised the AstraZeneca/Oxford Coronavirus vaccine, but advised caution on its use for elderly people.

The National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation (NIFDS) said on Friday.

The regulator gathered to decide on the vaccine on Thursday.

“A recommendation was made to approve it, as for the use of the vaccine like in Europe, it is approved for people over 18 years old.

“But precautions say that the decision on the use for those over 65 years should be made with caution, as there is no sufficient data on the use of the vaccine in people over 65,’’ NIFDS director-general Lee Dong-hee told a briefing.

In the future, the country intends to request additional clinical trial data concerning vaccine use for senior people

The vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women.

The regulator also urged caution on vaccine use for lactating women.

South Korea is set to begin the vaccine rollout this month, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun expects AstraZeneca vaccine doses for 2.19 million people to arrive in the first half of 2021.

This year, the country hopes to receive a total of 106 million doses from various manufacturers.