S. KOREA VACCINATION STATUS

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea will today close reservations for the AstraZeneca vaccine from seniors aged 74 or younger. Those who have not yet booked vaccination appointments can make reservations by calling the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency or visiting community service centers. As of the midnight of Wednesday, 6.35 million people have received the first jab of the two-shot regimen against the coronavirus. Seventy-five percent of those eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations have now signed up for shots. In order to boost the vaccination rate, health authorities plan to give leftover vaccines first to those aged 60 or older.

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About 75 percent of those eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations in the priority senior group have signed up for the AstraZeneca shots. The government asked the people to receive vaccines this time, saying they will have to wait until after October for the next chance if they miss their turn now.

[Soundbite] Yoon Tae-ho(Central Disaster Management HQs) : "Those older than age 60 are in the age group that can reap the greatest benefits from vaccination. It will significantly lower the risks of developing serious conditions and lower the fatality rate."

Starting next week, more people will be eligible for vaccinations and more types of vaccines will also be administered. Beginning from June 7, the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be given to some four million people aged between 60 and 64 as well as about 360,000 others, including preschool teachers older than 30. Roughly 410,000 soldiers younger than 30 will begin receiving Pfizer vaccines on the same day. On June tenth, 900,000 members of the reserve and civil defense forces, aged 30 and above, will start receiving the Janssen vaccines. From June 15th, essential workers aged 30 or younger and 190,000 employees at vulnerable facilities will be given the first jab of the Pfizer vaccine. The government plans to vaccinate as many elderly people as possible within the first half of the year. For this goal, it will prioritize the senior citizens in allocating leftover vaccines, even if they fail to make vaccination appointments. Therefore, only those aged 60 or older will be able to put their names on vaccination waiting lists with hospitals through phone calls or visits. Those younger can sign up for leftover shots only via the web portals Naver and Kakao. Health authorities have put aside 100,000 doses of the Janssen vaccine with a plan to administer them to the elderly. But they added that people will not be given the option to choose the type of vaccines.