Teachers to receive Pfizer, Moderna vaccines during vacation

The South Korean government has announced its plan to complete vaccination against Covid-19 in teachers and education workers at elementary, middle and high schools, and kindergartens and daycare centers nationwide. The measure is being taken to ensure all students can go to school from the second semester. Teachers and education workers will come to receive the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines, for which the intervals between dosing are shorter at three to four weeks.

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Commissioner Jung Eun-kyeong made the remarks at a press briefing on the day, saying, “The government will switch the vaccine that will be administered from Monday in teachers and education workers from the AstraZeneca vaccine to mRNA vaccines.” The AstraZeneca vaccine requires 11 to 12 weeks between the first and second doses, which makes it impossible to complete the two-dose regime before the start of the second semester.

Teachers for elementary first and second graders, and those at daycare centers aged 30 and older, who already reserved reservation for vaccination, will be informed of revised schedules. Those under 30 will receive the Pfizer vaccine on June 15-26 as planned. High school seniors who are preparing for the college entrance exam are also set to receive the Pfizer vaccine in July. As of 12 a.m. on Friday, a total of 7,086,292 people, or 13.8 percent of the Korean population, completed the first dose.


Mee-Jee Lee image@donga.com