Hong Nam-ki "General public vaccination in May... Goal of 1.5 million people per day"

Vaccination Age Expanded to General Adults Aged 18-64
Goal to Complete First Dose for '70% of Entire Population' by September
Vaccine Recipients Considered for 'Quarantine Exemption'

Hong Nam-ki, Acting Prime Minister, is delivering a public address regarding the COVID-19 vaccine at the Government Seoul Office on the morning of the 26th. April 26, 2021 [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Hong Nam-ki, Acting Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for Economy, announced on the 26th, "Starting in May, we plan to lower the vaccination age and begin full-scale vaccinations for the general public." According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the current vaccination target is citizens aged 65 and older, and the plan was to start vaccinating the general public from the third quarter, but with the additional contract for 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, they decided to advance this schedule.

To this end, they also added a plan to significantly expand the vaccination infrastructure by the end of next month to have the capacity to vaccinate "more than 1.5 million people per day." The vaccination target for this week is "150,000 people per day," and they plan to increase this tenfold within a month.

In a public address on COVID-19 vaccines at the Government Complex Seoul on the morning of the same day, Acting Prime Minister Hong stated, "By the end of the first half of the year (end of June), we will complete the first dose for 12 million people, and by the end of September, for 36 million people, which is 70% of the entire population." He also added that 80 million doses will be introduced in the third quarter and a total of 90 million doses in the fourth quarter, emphasizing that herd immunity will be achieved smoothly by November.

He also presented measures to encourage vaccination participation. Acting Prime Minister Hong said, "In preparation for the time when vaccinations for the general public will be in full swing this summer, we are preparing so that those who have completed vaccination can enjoy a freer daily life," and added, "We are reviewing measures to ease quarantine rules, including exemption from self-quarantine upon contact with confirmed cases and during entry and exit, by utilizing the 'Electronic Vaccination Certificate.'"

Regarding uncertainties in vaccine supply, Acting Prime Minister Hong emphasized, "South Korea is one of the few countries with a domestic production base," and "the uncertainty in vaccine supply is relatively low." He continued, "There have been excessive anxieties caused by inaccurate information such as pointing out a 'vaccine drought,' but this is not true." He stated, "There has not been a single case of delay in the vaccine supply volume contracted by the government with pharmaceutical companies," and added, "It is time to move away from futile debates and focus national energy on achieving herd immunity as quickly as possible."

To achieve the vaccination rate set by the government, resolving safety controversies is the top priority. Acting Prime Minister Hong said, "Although it should never happen, if any adverse effects causally related to vaccination occur, definite compensation will be provided under the National Immunization Injury Compensation Program."

Present at the public address were Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong, Minister of the Interior and Safety Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination Koo Yun-cheol, Commissioner of the Korea Food and Drug Administration Kim Gang-lip, and Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Jung Eun-kyung.

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