Presidential Chief of Staff You Young-min says the government is exerting all-out efforts to meet its goal of achieving herd immunity by November through smooth COVID-19 vaccination. 

He made the remark at a meeting of the National Assembly House Steering Committee on Wednesday. 

He also expressed deep concerns over the politicization of the matter, as the matter deals with the life and death of the public. 

In response to demands by some in the opposition bloc that President Moon Jae-in receive the AstraZeneca vaccine first, You relayed that the president would not oppose the idea if it would build confidence in the vaccine.

Describing the imminent inoculation program as a race against time, the senior presidential official stressed the importance of priority-setting, verifying vaccine safety and moving ahead with the program swiftly, flexibly and continuously. 

Regarding the government’s decision to postpone the AstraZeneca vaccination on those aged 65 and older, he said the government plans to swiftly carry it out pending the results of additional tests on the safety of the vaccine.