Nearly 90% of troops aged under 30 receive first doses of COVID-19 vaccine

Published : Jun 24, 2021 - 11:11 Updated : Jun 24, 2021 - 11:11

A Marine receives Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at a makeshift inoculation center inside the Marine Corps Headquarters in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, in this photo provided by the defense ministry. (Defense Ministry)

Nearly 90 percent of service members aged under 30 have received their first doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine since the vaccination campaign for younger soldiers began earlier this month, the defense ministry said Thursday.

A total of 365,277 troops in their 20s, or 88.1 percent of the age group, had been vaccinated as of Wednesday, according to the ministry.

The defense ministry began their inoculation campaign in March and has been implementing it in phases. Soldiers aged 30 and older were given AstraZeneca's vaccine, and they will receive the second shots starting around July.

On Thursday, the ministry reported a new COVID-19 case, as an Army soldier in the border town of Paju tested positive following his recent vacation.

The latest case brought the total number of infections reported among the military population to 1,010.

Nationwide, South Korea reported 610 new cases, including 576 local infections, raising the total caseload to 153,155, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). (Yonhap)