South Korea's Moon Jae-in to ramp up country's COVID-19 vaccination drive

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that he will use his trip to Washington as an ‘opportunity’ to shore up the country's vaccine supplies. This comes after the country is seeking to ramp up its inoculation drive. As per UPI, Moon at a weekly meeting with senior aides said that the authorities will take this visit as an opportunity to strengthen vaccine cooperation and become a global hub for vaccine production. The South Korean president is scheduled to meet with the US President Joe Biden on Friday, May 14. This will be the first face-to-face summit among the two leaders. 

Current situation in South Korea

As per the data released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country has vaccinated 940,345 people, which accounts for 1.8 per cent of the entire population. Also, around 3.7 million people, or 7.3 per cent have received their first shot. The aim of the government is to vaccinate 13 million people by June and attain herd immunity by November.

Earlier in April, the South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced that the country will extend the existing social distancing rules for three more weeks. As a part of new restrictions, night clubs and various other night time entertainment facilities were to remain shut. Also, meetings among five or more people were prohibited. 

The East Asian country is reviewing whether to approve rapid coronavirus tests that can be taken at home. These tests can produce immediate results. The director of South Korea’s National Health Institute, Kwon Jun-wook said that there is a need to provide convenient and accessible tests that people can use regularly. This is because the virus can be transmitted by people with no or mild symptoms. He further added that the country may need more tools as it has been struggling to battle the deadly virus. 

Previously, the health authorities were reluctant to expand the use of rapid antigen tests, which could produce results within 30 minutes but are less accurate than standard laboratory tests. Kwon said that real-time PCR tests would remain the country’s gold standard even if officials approve rapid tests for public use. The PCR tests involve professionals administering nasal and throat swabs. Also, lab machines are required for genetically analyzing the samples.

(Image Credits: AP)