South Korea may face a vaccine shortage after more than three million people received their first jabs of COVID-19 vaccines. 

According to vaccine authorities on Monday, a considerable number of vaccine centers around the nation have stopped or are minimizing scheduling new appointments for first-dose Pfizer inoculations. 

This comes after authorities informed local governments to refrain from scheduling appointments for first doses as there could be a supply shortage for second shots.

Meanwhile, 176-thousand doses of AstraZeneca vaccines remain, which is only enough for two days considering the recent pace of inoculations. 

The government will hold a briefing at 5 p.m. to announce its vaccine plans for the second quarter.