GEIS-新闻详情

South Korea premier sees 70% first-shot Covid-19 vaccination by end September

2021-08-18 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-亚洲原网页

SEOUL (BLOOMBERG) - South Korea wants to have 70 per cent of its population vaccinated by the end of September, the premier said, speeding up one of the lowest inoculation rates among major Asian economies as cases surge to record highs.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, at the forefront of the government's pandemic policy, said on Tuesday (Aug 17) that South Korea would keep funnelling aid to small businesses hurt by strict social distancing measures aimed at stemming a record Covid-19 wave powered by the delta variant.

Kim indicated Seoul would do all it can to avoid a lockdown.

"We're looking at various ways, such as cross-inoculation with other companies, in order to reach a 70 per cent first-shot vaccination rate by the end of September," he said in interview with Bloomberg, referring to the mix of Covid-19 vaccines from suppliers including Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc.

"If we were to be ambitious, we could reach a 70 per cent rate for second shots by the end of October or at least mid-November," said Kim, who took office earlier this year and is a key player in virus policy for President Moon Jae-in until his single, five-year term ends in about nine months.

Daily new virus cases started to surge in July with the emergence of the delta variant while the vaccine rollout was slowed by supply shortages and shipment delays. Inoculations have sped up in recent weeks with about 20 per cent of the population fully vaccinated, up from 15 per cent last week. Previously, it took six weeks to rise from 10 per cent to 15 per cent.

But South Korea lags Japan, which started its inoculations at about the same time and now has 37 per cent of its population fully vaccinated. Singapore leads Asia with 73 per cent fully vaccinated, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

South Korea's once lauded virus containment strategy, which operated without a lockdown, is facing a major challenge as the number of daily new coronavirus cases has touched records in recent days. Kim indicated the country could weather the current storm without turning to lockdowns.

"One of the reasons why we think Korea has succeeded in prevention is because we didn't turn to extreme measures like lockdowns," he said, adding the approach has prevented economic damage.

South Korea will also be looking to support its powerful semiconductor industry to help its economy as the pandemic wanes, Kim said. Aid would be extended to other areas of the economy and up to about US$17,000 would be provided to small business owners, starting from Tuesday, he added.

South Korea is willing to stand by its US ally even when it pursues supply chains for components that don't involve China, Kim said. "It's impossible for a single country to monopolise the industry, and thus we are happy to participate the US-led global supply chain that excludes China, as a partner."

Kim, 63, took part in rallies in the 1980s to bring down authoritarian rule. He was initially a conservative but later jumped to the progressive camp and is now seen as a moderate. He has not tossed his hat into the ring for the 2022 presidential race and, when asked if he might consider a 2027 run, said: "Maybe I'm too old at that time."

In the interview, Kim extended an olive branch to North Korea and Japan, and spoke more about the country's chip industry.