Prime Minister Jeong: "Goal of Herd Immunity Through 60-70% Nationwide Vaccination by Autumn"
"Efforts to Introduce Pfizer Vaccine in February... Hope It Goes Well"
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on the 4th, "The government's program is to have 60-70% of the population vaccinated before autumn to complete herd immunity."
Prime Minister Chung appeared on MBC's '100-Minute Debate' that day and stated, "If things proceed as planned, South Korea will be one of the fastest countries to be liberated from COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus Infectious Disease)."
Regarding the controversy over vaccine procurement delays, Prime Minister Chung said, "The public and private sectors are working together to advance the introduction schedule."
He added, "For Pfizer-produced vaccines, they are currently scheduled to arrive from the third quarter, but through cooperation among large, medium, and small enterprises and the government, we are trying to bring them in starting next month," and said, "I believe it will go well."
On the risk of medical system collapse, Prime Minister Chung stated, "We tried to secure 10,000 hospital beds in preparation for a situation where 1,000 confirmed cases occur daily in the metropolitan area, and currently, we have secured an additional 2,000 beds on top of that."
He continued, "Two weeks ago, about 400 people in the metropolitan area were waiting without being admitted, but today, there is no one who has not been admitted," and added, "Preparations are well made, so there is no need to worry at the current level."
Regarding the cluster infection incident at Seoul Eastern Detention Center, he said, "We will strive not to repeat trial and error."
Hot Picks Today
As Samsung Falters, Chinese DRAM Surges: CXMT Returns to Profit in Just One Year
- "Most Americans Didn't Want This"... Americans Lose 60 Trillion Won to Soaring Fuel Costs
- Man in His 30s Dies After Assaulting Father and Falling from Yongin Apartment
- Samsung Union Member Sparks Controversy With Telegram Post: "Let's Push KOSPI Down to 5,000"
- "Why Make Things Like This?" Foreign Media Highlights Bizarre Phenomenon Spreading in Korea
On economic measures for small business owners including disaster relief funds, he said, "I think it is right to provide more support to industries that have suffered greater damage," and mentioned, "However, going forward, we should also carefully consider the damage to salaried workers and develop policies accordingly."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
