South Korea will start vaccinations against COVID-19 from February 26 if the AstraZeneca vaccine gets the green light this week.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said Tuesday the vaccine will be distributed to hospitals and other medical facilities on February 25, with inoculations beginning the next day.

The first batch will amount to one and a half million doses, good for 750-thousand people.

Medical workers and elderly people at nursing homes are expected to get the first doses, with health authorities aiming to achieve herd immunity by November.

The announcement comes as the nation reported a slight rise in daily coronavirus cases on Tuesday ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.