South Korea will vaccinate 12 million people against COVID-19 by the end of June, Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol said in a government meeting Monday morning.

The minister said the next phase of the vaccination efforts put Korea closer to its hope of exiting the pandemic. “Our destination is clear: To get to herd immunity and return to normal life,” he said.

President Moon Jae-in has promised to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to 70 percent of Korea’s 51 million-strong population by September.

Since the mass vaccination program began Feb. 26, 588,958 people here have received their first shots, with 562,816 getting AstraZeneca’s vaccine and 26,142 getting Pfizer’s. This means that of those first in line for the vaccines, about 74 percent have now gotten them.

The first phase of the vaccination program is aimed at nursing home residents and workers under 65 -- as initial guidelines ruled out the AstraZeneca vaccine’s use for senior citizens -- and health care personnel of all ages at COVID-19 hospitals.

But the regulators retracted their decision to limit the AstraZeneca vaccine to people aged under 65 last week, so 377,000 older people at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities can get their shots starting later this month.

At the end of this month, vaccinations will have been completed for the top priority groups -- front-liners working with COVID-19 patients and care home residents -- the minister said. From April, the vaccine rollout will extend to the 11.5 million people who are next in line.

This includes around 8.58 million people 65 years of age or older, 92,000 people on dialysis and 12,000 people with respiratory conditions, who are more vulnerable to severe complications from COVID-19.

Some 669,400 residents and workers at group homes, correctional facilities or other settings prone to outbreaks will be eligible for vaccinations as well.

To keep child care services open, vaccinations will be made available to 51,000 workers who care for children with complex needs; 491,000 people who work with young children at day care centers, kindergartens or elementary schools; and 13,000 school nurses.

Essential workers will also be up for the vaccines, such as 385,000 non-COVID-19 health care professionals; 802,000 police officers, firefighters and soldiers; and 27,000 airline cabin crew members.

Included in the essential worker category are an unspecified number of government or elected officials who must travel abroad in the course of their duties. President Moon Jae-in, who is flying out for the June G-7 summit in the UK, is among them.

Jung Eun-kyeong, who is leading the COVID-19 vaccinations in the country as the chief of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, told Monday’s news briefing that Moon would “mostly likely be receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, per the protocol.” Later the same day, Cheong Wa Dae confirmed that the presidential couple would be getting the vaccine next week.

Most people being vaccinated between now and June will receive AstraZeneca’s vaccine due to the supply schedule and transportation issues. But 3.64 million people 75 or older, and 158,000 residents and workers at eldercare institutions will be getting Pfizer’s.

Adults between 19 and 64 years of age will get their turn in September or later in the fall, according to the ministry’s plan.

But there are concerns that Korea may not have enough vaccines in time to reach its goal of vaccinating 12 million people by June. When asked about possible shortages or delivery delays, the ministry said it might postpone second doses and instead give those doses to people who still need their first shots.

Korea has secured enough vaccines for 79 million people through deals with pharmaceutical companies and the World Health Organization-led fair vaccine access program, COVAX.

Only about 11 percent of this supply, which can cover 8.89 million people, is to be delivered in the first half of the year. Enough AstraZeneca vaccine for 1.05 million people is set to arrive in phases between March and May through COVAX. More AstraZeneca vaccine is expected at the end of May or June, enough for 3.5 million people; and enough of the Pfizer vaccine to supply 3.5 million people is to arrive before June.

In other words, even if the vaccines arrive on schedule, 3.1 million people will not get their shots as scheduled under the ministry’s timeline.

In an interim announcement, the KDCA said its investigations so far revealed that none of the 14 deaths reported among vaccine recipients were related to the vaccine. Two deaths are still under investigation, but no link to the vaccine is suspected in those cases either.

Meanwhile, on the back of fewer tests, Sunday’s new infection count fell slightly to 382 from a series of over-400 days. Still, the health minister warned, trends in the capital indicated that another surge might be imminent. The ministry’s plan to ease social distancing, announced two weeks prior, will be put off until the situation is “stable enough,” Kwon said.

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)