Tokyo Olympics: South Korea begins COVID vaccination for athletes
Approximately 100 South Korean athletes and coaches travelling to Japan for the Olympics this yr obtained their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine, because the nation struggles to maintain its inoculation drive on monitor amid provide shortages.
Approximately 500 others will likely be vaccinated by the primary week of May, earlier than they journey to Japan, the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) stated on Thursday.
Overall, greater than 900 folks from South Korea’s proposed delegation will likely be vaccinated.
The video games, pushed again by a yr because of the pandemic, are set to run from July 23 till August 8.
Organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics rolled out stricter coronavirus countermeasures on Wednesday, together with a plan to check athletes day by day, as they attempt to reassure a Japanese public made more and more sceptical by the resurgent pandemic.
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Vaccination not necessary
COVID-19 vaccinations should not necessary for participation within the Olympics, however are beneficial.
On Thursday, South Korea stated coronavirus an infection charges over the following few days would decide whether or not authorities alter social distancing guidelines for upcoming weeks.
“Most of the transmission routes are from coming into contact with confirmed sufferers,” Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol advised a COVID-19 response assembly on Thursday.
Kwon stated the vaccination programme is choosing up velocity and reaffirmed the federal government’s pledge to vaccinate 12 million folks in the important thing teams, together with front-line employees and the aged, by June and attain herd immunity by November.
Nearly 2.7 million South Koreans out of a inhabitants of 52 million have obtained their first vaccine dose, bringing the vaccination charge to only above 4 p.c.
South Korea reported 680 new COVID-19 instances as of midnight on Wednesday, bringing the overall variety of confirmed instances to 121,351, and the overall variety of deaths to 1,825.
Japan, in the meantime, declared a third state of emergency for Tokyo and three western prefectures final week because the nation struggles to include a resurgent coronavirus pandemic simply three months earlier than the Olympics.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga introduced the emergency for Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo from April 25 by way of May 11.
A latest uptick in instances has fearful officers and medical professionals as the federal government and Olympic organisers insist the video games will go forward this yr.
