Moon may get AstraZeneca vaccine this month

President Moon Jae-in watches a nursing home doctor receiving a shot of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine at a public health center in Seoul, Feb. 26, when the country kicked off its nationwide vaccinations. Korea Times file

By Kang Seung-woo

President Moon Jae-in is expected to get AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine as early as this month before traveling to Britain to attend the G7 summit there in June.

According to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok, last week, Moon's inoculation plan will be decided based on discussions with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and his diplomatic schedule.

Moon, 68, is not subject to vaccination in the first quarter according to the government scheme drawn up according to age, vulnerability and other factors, and his turn is initially expected to come in the second quarter.

The health authorities said, Saturday, those embarking on overseas trips for government affairs will be eligible for priority vaccinations, mentioning President Moon as one of those eligible.

Cheong Wa Dae announced, January, that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson formally invited Moon through a personal letter to an in-person G7 summit and Moon accepted the invitation.

Currently, AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines are available in Korea, but the former has not been administered to people aged 65 or older due to insufficient data on its efficacy in elderly people. Public concerns are mounting over the effectiveness and safety of AstraZeneca vaccines as nine people have died as of Sunday after receiving the vaccine, although no correlation has been confirmed.

In that respect, Cheong Wa Dae expects that Moon being administered the AstraZeneca vaccine will ease public concerns. “The President plans to willingly take the AstraZeneca vaccine,” an official of the presidential office also said.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is administered as two shots with an eight-week interval, meaning that Moon is likely to receive his first dose before the end of this month. The G7 summit is scheduled for June 11 to 13.