South Korea ranks 20th in the world in terms of COVID-19 vaccines administered per capita, having given at least one dose to nearly 28 percent of its 52 million people.

Kwon Jun-wook, deputy director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, made the remark during an online briefing Friday, citing foreign media reports that showed more than 2.5 billion vaccine shots have been given worldwide so far.

As of Thursday, a total of over 14.2 million people, or 27.7 percent of the Korean population have received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines.

Kwon estimated that the national vaccination program will have a faster and bigger effect than that of other countries due to the relatively low local COVID reproduction rate and strong public adherence to distancing and quarantine rules.