Vaccinated Army member tests positive for COVID-19

Defense 10:48 May 18, 2021

SEOUL, May 18 (Yonhap) -- A civilian worker for the military tested positive for the new coronavirus even though he received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, marking the fifth such case among the military population, the defense ministry said Tuesday.

The employee working on an Army base in the southern city of Busan was confirmed to have been infected after coming into contact with one of his colleagues who earlier tested positive, according to the ministry.

He got the first jab of AstraZeneca's vaccine late last month under the military's vaccination campaign for troops aged 30 and older.

The latest case brought the total number of infections reported among the military population to 891.

Nationwide, South Korea reported 528 more COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including 506 local infections, raising the total caseload to 132,818, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

As of Monday, 113,761 service members in their 30s and older had received the AstraZeneca vaccine. It is around 99.7 percent out of about 114,000 service members who are eligible for the inoculation program for this age group and agreed to be vaccinated.

The military plans to begin administering vaccines to those in their 20s next month, according to the ministry.