USFK allocated enough H1N1 vaccines: Pentagon

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) -- All U.S. forces in South Korea have now received
vaccinations against the H1N1 influenza, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

"I can also tell you that our forces on the Korean Peninsula have received now a
hundred percent of their requirement this week, roughly 26,000 doses," spokesman
Geoff Morrell said in a daily news briefing.
The U.S. maintains about 28,500 troops in South Korea as a deterrent against
nuclear-armed North Korea, the legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a
fragile armistice.
The announcement comes as South Korea Tuesday raised its flu alert to the highest
"red" level to prevent the rapid spread of the influenza with the freezing winter
just around the corner.
An average of 8,857 South Koreans caught the new flu per day last week, up from
4,420 the week before, with 42 South Koreans having died from the flu since
August.
South Korea and the United States are both in short supply of the H1N1 vaccines.
"We are still operating with a limited quantity, we have to prioritize those who
will get it," Morrell said. "And according to our prioritization list, our
military forces and those who support them are at the top of that list."
The spokesman said that "We, like a lot of institutions right now, have a very
limited supply of vaccine."
He said that Central Command has received "about 50 percent of what they require
for their roughly 300,000 forces."
hdh@yna.co.kr
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