South Korean President Moon Jae-in received the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday, ahead of a trip abroad, when the country began inoculating more elderly and health professionals in an effort to accelerate its vaccination campaign, reports Reuters.
Moon, 68, was shot at a community clinic near his Seoul office to prepare for a planned visit to the UK for a G7 summit in June.
Moon’s wife and nine aides who will accompany him on the trip, including National Security Adviser Suh Hoon, were also vaccinated, his office said in a statement.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson invited South Korea, India and Australia to attend the summit as guests.
South Korea’s government began on Tuesday to inoculate nearly 300,000 people in hospitals and nursing homes aged 65 and over and medical professionals while stepping up its vaccination campaign.
About 680,000 high-risk health workers and critically ill people have been vaccinated since the campaign began in late February, according to the Korean Disease Prevention and Control Agency (KDCA).
Authorities intend to inoculate nearly a quarter of the country’s 52 million population by June and obtain collective immunity by November amid a third wave of Covid outbreaks.
The KDCA has allowed people who carry out an important public mission, such as a diplomatic or military task, to be vaccinated starting this month.
Health center patients and staff will also receive an AstraZeneca injection, said the KDCA, with about 77% of the 375,000 eligible people agreeing to get it.
Authorities reaffirmed on Monday that they found no evidence of a health risk, despite reports of blood clots among those who received the AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe.
South Korea authorized the product for people aged 65 and over this month, after deferring its use to this age group, citing the lack of clinical data.
“I am willing to receive an AstraZeneca vaccine first, if it helps to reassure people that they feel safe participating in the campaign,” said Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun at a meeting on Tuesday.
The KDCA reported 346 new cases on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 99,421, with 1,704 deaths.