S. Korea to start administering 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine on Feb. 27: PM

Published : Feb 21, 2021 - 16:05 Updated : Feb 21, 2021 - 16:05

This photo, taken last Tuesday, shows bottles of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine and a syringe, as medical workers are trained on how to give coronavirus vaccine shots at a training facility of the Korean Nurses Association in Seoul. (Yonhap)

South Korea will begin administering 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines to medical staff on Saturday as the vaccines are expected to arrive in the country later this week, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday.

"On Feb. 26, 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines will arrive in the country and the vaccines will be administered to medical staff treating coronavirus patients starting on Feb. 27," Chung said during a meeting on the COVID-19 response held at the government complex in Seoul.

The country will begin the COVID-19 inoculation program with AstraZeneca's vaccines on Friday, with first jabs to be administered to staff members and patients under the age of 65 at nursing hospitals and facilities.

"As the government has taken responsibility in verifying their safety and efficacy, we ask that you trust them and fully participate in receiving inoculation of the vaccines," he said.

On Sunday, the country reported 416 more COVID-19 cases, including 391 local infections, raising the total caseload to 86,992. (Yonhap)