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(LEAD) Moon gets AstraZeneca vaccine shot to join G-7 summit in Britain

Politics 10:36 March 23, 2021

(ATTN: UPDATES with details in paras 3-5, last para; ADDS photo)
By Lee Chi-dong

SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in received his first dose of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, as he plans to attend a Group of Seven (G-7) summit to be held in Britain.

He received the shot at the Jongno-gu public health center near the presidential compound in Seoul, along with first lady Kim Jung-sook and nine Cheong Wa Dae officials to accompany them on a trip to Britain in June. The G-7 session is scheduled to take place in the seaside resort of Carbis Bay in Cornwall from June 11-13.

President Moon Jae-in receives an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shot at the Jongno-gu public health center in Seoul on March 23, 2021. (Yonhap)

President Moon Jae-in receives an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shot at the Jongno-gu public health center in Seoul on March 23, 2021. (Yonhap)

Moon arrived at the facility at 9 a.m. and soon got his temperature, identity and health conditions checked.

He rolled up his sleeve at the request of a nurse.

"Since you are good at giving a shot, it does not hurt at all," Moon said, while receiving it.

South Korea began the AstraZeneca vaccination program for those aged 65 and older on Tuesday following a delay attributable to concerns about its safety.

Local health authorities stated the previous day that they have found no evidence suggesting a correlation between the vaccine and reports of blood clots.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has drawn up a priority list of vaccine takers. It allowed an exception for Moon, 68; the 66-year-old first lady; and the Cheong Wa Dae officials, including Suh Hoon, director of national security, for the early inoculation in consideration of diplomacy-related urgency.

The AstraZeneca vaccine requires two shots with an interval of eight to 12 weeks.

The KDCA set the health center as the venue for the president's vaccination.

President Moon Jae-in gets his temperature checked upon arriving at the Jongno-gu public health center in Seoul for an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shot on March 23, 2021. (Yonhap)

President Moon Jae-in gets his temperature checked upon arriving at the Jongno-gu public health center in Seoul for an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shot on March 23, 2021. (Yonhap)

lcd@yna.co.kr
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