First U.S. troops vaccinated in S.Korea as country reports record coronavirus deaths

FILE PHOTO: Workers wearing protective gear disinfect an arrival gate amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, December 28, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

SEOUL (Reuters) - American troops stationed in South Korea received the first doses of coronavirus vaccine to be administered in the country on Tuesday, as health officials in Seoul reported a daily record of 40 deaths amid a surge in new cases.

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), which includes around 28,500 American military personnel as well as thousands of other workers and family members, gave the first doses to military and civilian healthcare workers and first responders in the force as well as USFK's top officers, the command said in a statement.