[Exclusive] Military to Start Vaccinations This Month

Minister of National Defense Seo Wook received the AstraZeneca vaccine on the morning of the day, considering his business trip schedule in early June. (Photo by Ministry of National Defense)

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] COVID-19 vaccinations within the military will begin by the end of this month. The vaccine used is the AstraZeneca vaccine from the United Kingdom, and only those aged 30 and above will be vaccinated.

According to military officials on the 16th, the military started identifying vaccination candidates and obtaining their consent from the previous day. The number of vaccination candidates is expected to exceed 77,000 in the Army alone and 100,000 across all military branches. Eight locations, including Army corps-level units and the Army Training Center District Hospital, will start vaccinations this month, while division-level units will begin on the 10th of next month.

Healthcare personnel within the military will be vaccinated first, followed by active-duty officers, military civilian employees, public service workers, and foreign military entrusted personnel. However, military officers working at coastal surveillance posts within the Army's 2nd Operations Command face difficulties in moving, and discussions are ongoing with local governments.

Whether the vaccination proceeds smoothly depends on the consent of military officers. The military predicts that about 90% of the candidates need to be vaccinated to achieve the '70% herd immunity' goal. However, concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine are growing, and the supply situation of other vaccines is unstable, leading to expectations that achieving the target will not be easy.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Seo Wook received the AstraZeneca vaccine on this day, considering his overseas business trip schedule in early June.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.