South Korean health authorities have decided to increase the number of doses a vial of coronavirus vaccine can provide, using domestically-made Low Dead Space(LDS) syringes.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) on Saturday notified inoculation centers nationwide of the increased per vial usage of the vaccines.

Under the new manual, the maximum number of shots a viral of Pfizer vaccine can provide is increased from six to seven if the LDS syringes are used.

A bottle of the AstraZeneca vaccine can produce up to 12 shots, using the syringes supplied by South Korean companies.

An LDS syringe limits the dead space between the syringe hub and needle to allow more effective use of vaccines and other drugs.