South Korean health authorities said on Monday that about 42 percent of people eligible to receive the first round of COVID-19 vaccines have taken their initial shots since the nationwide vaccination campaign was launched late last month. 

Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol said on Monday that the campaign was proceeding smoothly, adding that 316-thousand-865 people have been inoculated since the first shot was administered on February 26.  

The figure represents 41-point-five percent of people the government plans to inoculate in the first stage of the vaccination campaign. 

The nation began mass vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine, starting with high-risk groups such as those working or living in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

The minister said that about 39-hundred cases of adverse reactions to the shots have been reported, but most involved common and mild symptoms such as headache or fever.

He added that the government will make thorough preparations to inoculate ten million people in the first half of this year.