South
Korea says J&J's COVID-19 shots fully taken up
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[June 01, 2021]
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea closed its
first phase of reservations for Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines on
Tuesday as military personnel signed up for all 800,000 shots on offer,
the government said.
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South Korea received one million doses of the vaccine this week
after the United States almost doubled a pledge made during
President Moon Jae-in's first summit with U.S. President Joe Biden
last month.
Authorities designated the vaccine for military-related personnel,
including reserve forces and the civil defence corps, as well as
people planning overseas business trips or diplomatic missions.
Around 3.7 million people are eligible to receive the single-dose
vaccine and a total of 800,000 had signed up in less than 16 hours
since reservations began on Tuesday, the Korea Disease Control and
Prevention Agency (KDCA) said in a statement.

The KDCA closed the reservations at 800,000 doses, but said others
can book their shots when more vaccines are available.
South Korea has inoculated 5.79 million people, or 11% of its
population, with a first dose of the two-dose vaccines from
AstraZeneca or Pfizer. It aims to vaccinate 14 million by the end of
this month.
It said the plan is on track as more vaccine shipments are due to
arrive later this month and willingness to get vaccinated appears to
be rising, lured by incentives.
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 A survey in May showed 69.2% of
respondents were willing to get vaccinated, up
from 61.4% a month earlier, Lee Sang-won, a
senior health official, told a briefing.
The government on Tuesday allowed people who
have received at least one dose to have family
gatherings without restrictions and visit
nursing homes.
Those fully vaccinated will no longer be
required to wear masks outdoors from July.
The country has reported 459 new confirmed cases
on Monday, bringing the total tally to 140,799
infections, with 1,963 deaths.
(Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Miyoung Kim
and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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