The government is close to wrapping up talks to bring in additional COVID-19 vaccines from overseas for next year.

Senior Health Ministry official Lee Gi-il said on Wednesday that negotiations are in their final stages for some 50 million doses of mRNA vaccines, adding that the purchase is allocated in the government's latest budget plan.

The official said booster shots against variants were taken into account.

The government is expected to bring in a total of 193 million doses of the AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Janssen and Novavax vaccines this year.

The official said the government is on track to meet its target of administering at least one vaccine shot to 70 percent of the population by September, and to complete vaccinations by November in order to achieve herd immunity.