S. Korea Sees 50% of Population Fully Vaccinated by End-Sept

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea expects half of its population to be fully inoculated by the end of September as the pace of vaccinations in the country picks up.

“The progress is faster than expected,” President Moon Jae-in wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday. “Over 50% of the population has now received their first vaccine dose, and the pace of them receiving their second shots is quickening.”

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum has said that the government was looking at various ways, such as cross-inoculation with other companies, in order to reach a 70% first-shot vaccination rate by the end of September, and potentially a 70% rate for second shots by the end of October or at least mid-November. Currently, 22.3% of the population have been fully vaccinated, according to the Korea Disease Control & Prevention Agency. 

South Korea has one of the lowest inoculation rates among major Asian economies as cases surged to record highs this month. That triggered the government to extend the strongest social distancing rules for another two weeks. The country on Saturday reported that 1,880 new coronavirus cases were added in the past 24 hours.

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