The COVAX Facility, a global vaccine distribution platform, has reduced the total number of COVID-19 vaccines set for North Korea, a UN website showed Thursday, as deliveries have yet to be made.

A total of 1.54 million vaccines have been allocated to the North, according to the UN Children's Fund's COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard, compared with the previously known 8.11 million doses as of last year.

COVAX is shifting to "needs-based" vaccine distribution this year and previously allocated vaccines to the North are no longer relevant, a spokesperson for the Gavi vaccine alliance, which co-leads the program, was quoted as saying earlier by the Voice of America (VOA).

North Korea has so far not received any coronavirus vaccines amid its prolonged border controls against the pandemic. (Yonhap)