S.Korea begins vaccinating athletes against coronavirus ahead of Tokyo Olympics

SEOUL:  About 100 South Korean athletes and coaches travelling to Tokyo for the Olympics this year will receive their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, as the country struggles to keep its inoculation drive on track amid supply shortages.

Roughly 500 others will be vaccinated by the first week of May, before they travel to Japan, the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) said. Overall, more than 900 people from South Korea's delegation will be vaccinated. Of those, 598 athletes and coaches will receive Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, which requires a shorter interval between doses - two to three weeks - and is less likely to affect their performance than the AstraZeneca shot, which will be provided to administrative staff as long as they are older than 30, the KSOC said.