No Identification of Domestic Vaccine 'First Recipient'... "Nationwide Simultaneous Vaccination at 9 AM"

"All Residents and Workers Under 65 at Nursing Hospitals and Facilities Receive 'Dose 1'"

AstraZeneca vaccines departing from the G Tree BNT Logistics Center in Icheon arrived at the Jungnang-gu Public Health Center in Seoul on the 25th, where officials are transferring them to the storage facility. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The government has decided not to designate a single individual as the first recipient of the COVID-19 vaccine in South Korea, but to start vaccinations simultaneously nationwide.

On the 25th, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) stated in a press release, "Rather than assigning significance to a specific individual as the 'first vaccine recipient,' we are placing importance on the first day of vaccination and are fully preparing for the implementation of the vaccination program." The KDCA explained, "Tomorrow (the 26th) at 9 a.m., vaccinations will begin simultaneously nationwide for inpatients and residents under 65 years old, as well as staff at nursing hospitals and nursing facilities, all of whom will be considered the first vaccine recipients."

Additionally, the KDCA announced that it will open the site of the first vaccination at the Dobong-gu Public Health Center in Seoul starting at 9 a.m. on the 26th. Approximately 60 nursing facility staff members at the Dobong-gu Public Health Center will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine. From 9:00 to 9:30 a.m., 10 people will be vaccinated over a 30-minute period.

Cases where a country does not designate a single first COVID-19 vaccine recipient, as South Korea is doing, are rare overseas as well. This has led to interpretations that the decision was made considering the recent controversy over the first vaccine recipient, which arose mainly in political circles. In particular, regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine, the vaccination schedule for the elderly aged 65 and over was delayed due to a lack of clinical data, leading some opposition party members to argue that President Moon Jae-in should be the first vaccine recipient.