[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] With the vaccination reservation rate for flight attendants at only 51%, health authorities are considering extending the vaccination deadline.
According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team on the 21st, vaccinations began on the 19th for 342,552 people including disabled persons, elderly home visitors, veterans' care workers, and flight attendants. As of midnight that day, 211,406 people had made vaccination reservations, resulting in a reservation rate of 61%.
In particular, the reservation rate for flight attendants was only half, indicating a slower vaccination pace.
Hong Jeong-ik, head of the Vaccination Planning Team at the Promotion Team, explained in a back briefing, "Among approximately 16,200 flight attendants eligible for vaccination, 8,411 have made reservations, resulting in a reservation rate of about 51%. The biggest issue causing the low vaccination rate is requests due to flight schedules that prevent vaccination this week."
Regarding concerns that worries about thrombosis among young female recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine might have affected the vaccination rate for flight attendants, he said, "Women under 30 years old have already been excluded from the vaccination target," adding, "There is an understanding that some cannot be vaccinated this week due to flight schedules, and that is quite possible."
Team leader Hong added, "We are considering extending the vaccination period for flight attendants so that those who cannot be vaccinated due to schedules such as traveling abroad can receive vaccination upon returning to the country."
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