South Korea heading toward herd immunity with over 3 million vaccinated over 2 months

MOSCOW: South Korea has administered at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine to more than 3 million people in two months and is on the way to reach herd immunity by November, Sputnik quoted a Yonhap News Agency report on Thursday, citing national health authorities.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), a total of 3,012,654 people – or 5.2 per cent of the population – received their first shots since the nationwide vaccination campaign kicked off on Feb 26, the news agency said.

The government’s target is to vaccinate 12 million people by the end of June and achieve herd immunity by November.

To meet the goals, the authorities have ramped up the campaign in the past few weeks by opening new state-run medical facilities and securing vaccine shipments.

South Korea has reportedly secured enough vaccine from various manufacturers to inoculate 99 million people. However, concerns remain over potential shipment disruptions that may affect the vaccination schedule.

AstraZeneca, which accounts for 60 per cent of the country’s rollout for the first half of the year, has raised safety concerns due to increased risks of severe blood clotting, prompting its suspension in several countries.

South Korea has also contracted 6 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the usage and shipping of which were temporarily halted by the US after concerns of blood-clotting.

Two homegrown vaccines are still undergoing clinical trials and are expected to enter phase 2 or 3 not earlier than the end of the year.

To address the potential vaccine shortage, the authorities have begun preliminary review of Novavax and Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines.

Local manufacturers of the drugs have also filed for preliminary approval of the products.