Korea to receive JJ vaccine for 1 million people from US this week

This file photo taken on April 30 shows a pack and vials of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson (JJ) COVID-19 vaccine at the ZNA Middelheim hospital in Antwerp, Belgium. Korea is set to receive the vaccine for 1 million people from the United States this week, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Sunday. AFP-Yonhap

South Korea is set to receive the Johnson & Johnson (JJ) COVID-19 vaccine for 1 million people from the United States this week following Washington's pledge to donate vaccines for Korean troops, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Sunday.

It is nearly double the volume that U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to provide, during a meeting with President Moon Jae-in earlier this month, to fully inoculate all 550,000 South Korean service members.

"Our military aircraft will bring the vaccine home (within this week) to inoculate military-affiliated members, including reservists," Kim said, presiding over a government disaster management meeting.

"The detailed vaccination plan will be announced later by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency," he added.

In April, South Korea authorized the use of Janssen's single-shot regimen as the country's third approved vaccine, though this type of vaccine is yet to be administered. Around 10 million Americans, including members of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), have received JJ's.

Of all South Korean troops, more than 114,000 in their 30s and older have already received AZ vaccines, while younger soldiers are supposed to receive Pfizer's vaccines.

"I'd like to express gratitude to Biden and the U.S. government for the decision, which demonstrated the staunch Korea-U.S. alliance," Kim said. (Yonhap)