Military and Medical Staff Begin COVID-19 Vaccine Inoculation Campaign

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Ministry of National Defense announced on the 3rd that COVID-19 vaccination will be carried out at 16 military hospitals, starting with the Armed Forces Yangju Hospital.

Except for some KATUSA soldiers serving in the US Forces Korea, this is the first COVID-19 vaccination within the military.

The vaccination targets are about 2,400 healthcare workers including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and medical technicians working at military hospitals. They will receive either the AstraZeneca vaccine or the Pfizer vaccine.

In the second quarter, vaccinations will be conducted targeting division-level medical units. Afterwards, according to the health authorities' vaccination plan and military priority, general soldiers will also be vaccinated sequentially, the Ministry of National Defense said.

Minister of National Defense Seo Wook stated, "We will make our best efforts to ensure the successful completion of COVID-19 vaccination within the military," and added, "We will not relax the vigilance on military quarantine, which could become lax due to vaccination."