GOV'T TO ENCOURAGE MORE VACCINATIONS

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Vaccine appointments for the unvaccinated are no longer received. An estimated five million adults in Korea are still not immunized. To encourage more people to get inoculated, the government will allow them to get vaccinated without vaccine appointments starting from mid-October.

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The government gave two more weeks to the unvaccinated to get their shots, but only 7 percent of them made vaccine appointments. Some 5 million people have yet to book their shots. To maximize the nation's vaccination rate, authorities will let the unvaccinated get their jabs at nearby hospitals without vaccine appointments starting October 18.

[Soundbite] Kim Ki-nam(Covid-19 Vaccination Task Force) : "Anyone who wants to get vaccinated will be allowed to do so anytime at medical facilities using vaccines that hospitals have in stock."

To achieve an 80-percent vaccination rate, a threshold for 'With Corona' , 10 million more people need to get their second shot. If around 500,000-600,000 people get immunized daily from now on, the goal could be reached by the middle of this month. Once the public forms antibodies two weeks later, vaccine passes will likely be introduced in early November. To get exemptions from restrictions on private gatherings, people will be required to present certificates of immunization. Health authorities warn against forging them or using other people's certs, as such acts are punishable by law.

[Soundbite] Kim Ki-nam(Covid-19 Vaccination Task Force) : "Those who present forged certificates of immunization at public facilities or use them for illegal purposes will be levied a fine under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act."

The government is analyzing how other countries are transitioning to "living with the virus." Authorities are having a hard time convincing unvaccinated citizens to get inoculated.