The US military started one coronavirus vaccination campaign for personnel stationed in South Korea on Tuesday, when a third wave of virus sent the host nation’s highest daily death toll since the start of the pandemic. US Forces Korea (USFK) has administered the first doses of the Moderna vaccine to military and civilian health workers, first responders and command personnel at all medical treatment facilities in the country, it said in a statement.
Washington has stationed about 28,500 troops in South Korea to help defend it against the nuclear-armed North and protect US interests in Northeast Asia.
Among the vaccinated was USFK Commander Robert Abrams, who was pictured receiving the shot wearing a mask and a T-shirt emblazoned with “#KilltheVirus”.
The vaccination is voluntary, but the head of the USFK “strongly” encouraged US service workers to get it. “I want you to make an informed decision for you and your family regarding the vaccine,” he said in the statement.
Staff Sgt. Betty R. Chevalier / US Air Force / DVIDS / Press release via REUTERS
South Korea is one of four overseas locations to receive the Moderna vaccine permission for emergency use won from the United States Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 18.
The vaccinations came as the new wave of the virus took hold of the Asian country. The resurgence has focused on the greater Seoul region, where despite tighter measures, the number of daily cases has increased several times this month to more than 1,000.
The country reported 1,046 new cases and 40 deaths on Tuesday, the highest daily toll since it first discovered an infection in January. It has reported a total of 58,725 coronavirus cases.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Moderna’s CEO Stephane Bancel held a video call on Monday and agreed that the company will deliver vaccine doses to 20 million South Koreans in the second quarter of 2021, Moon’s office said.
If the Moderna Agreement is formally signed, South Korea will have enough vaccines for 56 million people, or four million more than the total population, Moon’s office said.
It plans to launch its domestic vaccination program in February.
South Korea has been hailed as a model of how to combat the virus, with the public broadly following official guidelines and authorities preventing a wider outbreak with an intensive “trace, test and treat” approach.