Kim Boo-kyum: "I will try to move up COVID-19 vaccination appointments for those in their late 50s to this week"

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] COVID-19 vaccine reservations for those aged 55 to 59, which were closed early on the 12th, are expected to resume within this week.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum appeared on Channel A on the 13th and said, "We will try to bring forward the reservation for those in their late 50s so that it can be done within this week."

Regarding the 50s age group vaccine reservations closing on a first-come, first-served basis before the period ended, Prime Minister Kim explained, "It is not that there is no supply, but those people (officials from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency) only accept reservations when the vaccines are actually in hand," adding, "The fourth batch will be introduced on the 30th, but it takes time to conduct quality inspections and reach the final stage where vaccinations can be administered, so they planned to accept the first reservations and then take a short interval before accepting the second."

He continued, "I apologize for not informing the public about these details in advance, which caused inconvenience and distrust among the people."

When asked whether the Level 4 social distancing measures could end within two weeks, Prime Minister Kim forecasted, "According to many experts, the situation will not suddenly improve but will gradually come under control, and during that process, accelerating the vaccination rate is necessary to stabilize the situation."

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency is scheduled to hold a briefing on the 14th regarding the pre-reservation for vaccinations for people in their 50s.

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