Prime Minister Kim: "400,000 Janssen doses arriving this weekend... Active participation in vaccination" (Update)

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum is speaking while presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office Building on August 13, 2021. Photo by Yonhap News

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on the 13th, "This weekend, 400,000 doses of the Janssen vaccine donated by the U.S. government are scheduled to arrive in the country," and urged, "Please actively participate in reservations and vaccinations."

On the same day, Prime Minister Kim chaired the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting for COVID-19 at the Government Seoul Office and said, "I would like to express my gratitude to the U.S. government for sending valuable vaccines again following June."

The daily number of new COVID-19 cases has been around 2,000 throughout this week. Prime Minister Kim expressed concern, saying, "It has been over a month since social distancing was strengthened, but the expected effects have not yet appeared. Although the peak of the vacation season has passed, the amount of movement has not decreased, and there are continuous violations of quarantine rules, large and small, at vacation spots including beaches."

He added, "There are opinions that stronger additional measures are necessary, along with voices saying that the lives of the people must now be considered. However, I believe that securing on-site execution capability should take priority over discussing whether to strengthen or ease quarantine measures at this time." In this regard, Prime Minister Kim plans to hold a public address on the morning of the same day.

Addressing the public service sector, Prime Minister Kim said, "The misconduct of some public officials leads to distrust in quarantine efforts and lowers the morale of the majority of public officials and medical staff who are devoted on the front lines," urging, "Please set an example in quarantine starting from the public sector."

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