Oral COVID-19 medication developed overseas will arrive in phases beginning in February.

Ko Jae-young, spokesperson for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA), said in a Monday briefing that the government has decided to secure antiviral pills to treat 404-thousand people. 

The spokesperson confirmed shipments will begin from February in a first official mention of a concrete arrival month. 

In September and October, deals were signed with U.S. drug makers MSD and Pfizer to purchase enough medication to treat 200-thousand and 70-thousand patients, respectively.

Contracts for medication to treat another 134-thousand people will also likely be finalized this month. 

As the country transitions to life with COVID-19, the easy-to-consume pill is expected to help prevent a surge in severe cases and hospitalizations.