The government stressed that it will be able to inoculate roughly 70 percent of the nation’s population by November with COVID-19 vaccines.

Hong Jeong-ik, an official on the vaccination task force, told reporters on Tuesday that the government will be able to complete administering the second dose of vaccines for 36 million people by November as initially planned. 

He said he believes administering the first dose for that amount will be completed by September. 

Health Ministry official Son Young-rae said in a separate briefing that the government is aiming to inoculate 12 million people by the end of June, while aiming to have three million people vaccinated by the end of April. 

He said the government will exert all-out efforts to secure vaccines and carry out vaccination efforts smoothly. 

The officials’ remarks come amid rising concerns that the government’s goal to achieve herd immunity by November could hit a snag due to the unstable supply of vaccines.