South Korea vaccinates 18,000
South Korea said 18,489 persons received their first doses of AstraZeneca PLC's vaccine by midnight on Friday since it launched a great ambitious COVID-19 inoculation campaign, and will begin working with Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines on Saturday.
The first to have the shots are healthcare workers, staffers at assisted care facilities and other high-risk people, with an objective of vaccinating 32 million to 36 million persons - some 60% to 70% of the populace - by September.
The government hopes to reach herd immunity, defined as at least a 70% vaccine take-up, by November, as health authorities remain on alert for signs of sporadic infections. The primary AstraZeneca vaccines are to be administered to 289,000 people, while about 55,000 healthcare personnel in coronavirus treatment conveniences will receive initial batch of the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE supplied through the COVAX global vaccine-sharing programme.
Aside from AstraZeneca, Pfizer and COVAX, South Korea in addition has reached agreements with Moderna Inc, Novavax Inc and Johnson & Johnson for vaccines. South Korea reported 415 attacks of the brand new coronavirus for Friday.
The country has recorded 89,321 infections and 1,595 COVID-19 deaths, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The authorities happen to be extending public distancing rules by two weeks nationwide, including a ban on private gatherings greater than four. to blunt the coronavirus surge, Primary Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Friday.
