VOLUNTEERS AT VACCINATION CENTERS

[Anchor Lead]

Vaccination sites have their hands full as more and more people are willing to get inoculated. In addition to health workers and public officials, some 400 volunteers work hard at vaccination sites every day in Seoul alone, contributing to the rising vaccination rate in Korea.

[Pkg]

This vaccination site provides the Pfizer vaccine. Visitors are welcomed by volunteers greeting them at the entrance.

[Soundbite] "Come in this way."

As more and more people in Korea are willing to get inoculated, vaccination sites are crowded with patients who booked a shot.

[Soundbite] "Register at the end of the hall."

This center administers the Pfizer vaccine to people who are 75 and older. It's open 11 hours on weekdays and six hours on weekends, receiving some one thousand patients per day. Running the center with the help of local district officials and public health center workers alone is not enough. That's why eight volunteers come here every day to help.

[Soundbite] Lim Myung-kyo(Volunteer) : "We applied after seeing a hiring ad that was looking for volunteers to give directions to patients and help the elderly get seated and dressed."

From basic information provided to patients to vaccination and post-vaccination monitoring -- volunteers' help is needed every step of the way.

[Soundbite] "(Would you like to stay here longer?) No. (Then I'll come when the alarm rings in 15 minutes.)"

Some 400 volunteers help health workers every day at 27 vaccination sites in Seoul.

[Soundbite] Lee Hee-rae(Patient) : "If I were younger, I would volunteer here too. I'm grateful for their help in keeping things safe and orderly."

Some 7,300 volunteers lent a helping hand to vaccination centers between April and May this year, helping to boost the nation's vaccination rate.

[Soundbite] Kim Eun-ah(Volunteer) : "One elderly patient gave me candy before leaving. It's nothing big, but I was moved to tears."