Seoul, Sep 27 (TIWN) South Korea will begin administering Covid-19 vaccines to pregnant women and younger children starting from October 18 as part of its efforts to inoculate more people amid little signs of letup in the fourth wave of the pandemic, health authorities said on Monday.

The country's vaccination campaign started February 26 with some virus-vulnerable groups and front-line medical workers being prioritised for inoculations. 

A total of 38.1 million people have received their first shots of Covid-19 vaccines, accounting for 74.2 per cent of the country's population, while those who are fully vaccinated had reached 23.2 million, or 45.3 per cent, as of Monday. 

Those who have been excluded from the inoculation program, a total of 2.77 million youths aged between 12 and 17, are scheduled to receive first doses starting October 18.  The inclusion came following an increased number of younger Covid-19 patients amid the fourth wave of the pandemic, the KDCA said.  A total of 3,100 infected patients aged between 12 and 17 were newly confirmed in August alone.