South Korea set to expand COVID-19 immunization programme

SEOUL: South Korea says it will start administrating coronavirus vaccines to adults 75 years or older next month as it expands a mass immunization program that aims to deliver the first doses to 12 million people during the first half of the year.

Jung Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said Monday that school nurses, prison workers and people at facilities for the disabled and homeless will also be among groups that will receive their first shots in April.

She said the country will use its next available doses of Pfizer vaccines to inoculate some 3.64 million people who are over 75 and live in communities.

Separately, the country will use AstraZeneca shots to vaccinate some 377,000 people over 65 who live or work in long-term care settings later this month.

People between the age of 65 and 74 who live in communities will receive their first AstraZeneca shots in May or July, she said.

South Korea reported 382 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, which brought its caseload to 96,017, including 1,675 deaths.