Korean Olympic team to receive Pfizer shots from Thursday

A man wears a protective mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus near the logo of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. [AP/YONHAP]

Korean Olympians will start to receive the Pfizer vaccination from Thursday, ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in July.

A total of 931 people are to be vaccinated in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. All 598 athletes and coaches, as well as support staff and press under the age of 30, will receive the Pfizer jab.

As the final squads for team sports like football and baseball have not yet been determined, all preliminary team members will receive the vaccine.

All Olympians, including those over 30, will receive the Pfizer vaccine due to concerns that AstraZeneca shots may potentially affect their performance. As the first and second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine need to be given 11 to 12 weeks apart, athletes would not be able to receive the second dose until right before the Games.

According to the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, the 598 national team members will be broken up into four groups, with the first 100 athletes and coaches receiving vaccines at the National Medical Center in central Seoul from 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Other people heading to Tokyo with Team Korea, including staff members, press and committee members over the age of 30, will receive their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in May.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]