THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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[South Korea] Military to begin vaccination campaign for troops under 30

[South Korea]  Military to begin vaccination campaign for troops under 30

The military was to begin administering Pfizers coronavirus vaccine to soldiers under 30 years old Monday, the defense ministry said.

Of the around 414,000 eligible service members, about 86.5 percent applied for the inoculation, and the vaccine will be given at 91 military clinics across the nation through July 16, according to the ministry.

Soldiers aged 30 and older were already given AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, with about 88 percent, or 116,900 members, of the age group agreeing to take their first shots, the ministry said.

South Korea is also scheduled to administer Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine to reservists and civilians affiliated with the defense and foreign affairs Thursday. Around 1.01 million doses were provided by the United States, and they arrived here Saturday.

Janssen vaccines will only be administered to those in their 30s and older due to concerns over blood clotting among younger generations.

"Once this inoculation campaign is completed, about 87 percent of the country's 550,000 troops are expected to be vaccinated, which meets the military's target of 80 percent," Defense Minister Suh Wook said according to a release.

As of 2 p.m. Sunday, the military had reported 982 COVID-19 cases among its population.

Nationwide, South Korea reported 556 more COVID-19 cases, including 541 local infections, raising the total caseload to 144,152, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. (Yonhap)

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