Vaccination Reservations for Seniors Aged 60-74 End in 3 Days... Booking Rate Nears 80%

Pre-Reservation Ends in 3 Days at 6 PM
Reservation Rate at 12 AM: 77.6%
Priority for Remaining Vaccines Starts Tomorrow

Pre-booking for COVID-19 vaccination for the elderly aged 60 to 74 will conclude on the 3rd. As the deadline approaches, the pace of reservations has accelerated, bringing the elderly reservation rate close to the government's initial target of 80%.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as of midnight on this day, the vaccination reservation rate for the elderly aged 60 to 74 stood at 77.6%. By age group, those aged 70 to 74 had the highest rate at 80.7%, followed by 65 to 69 at 79%, and 60 to 64 at 74.9%. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at the COVID-19 briefing, "We expect the reservation rate to increase a little more by 6 p.m. today when reservations close," adding, "If you do not make a reservation this time, you will have to wait a long time until the vaccination for unvaccinated people begins in November to December after the general public's vaccination is completed."

The vaccination reservation rate for the elderly increased by 12.7 percentage points in one week, from 62.1% as of midnight on the 27th of last month to 74.8% on the 2nd. Until the 20th of last month, the pre-booking rate for those aged 60 to 74 had stagnated around 50%. However, after the government announced incentive measures for vaccinated individuals on the 26th and the reservation deadline approached, the reservation rate gained momentum. On the 31st of last month alone, more than 320,000 elderly people expressed their intention to get vaccinated, pushing the cumulative reservation rate past 70% in one go.

If this trend continues, it is not impossible to exceed the final reservation rate of 80%. Elderly people who have not made a reservation by today will only be able to get vaccinated around October after the first dose vaccination for the entire population is completed. However, the government intends to maximize the vaccination rate among the elderly by keeping the door open for those who did not make a reservation to receive the vaccine.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Health authorities have decided that from the day after the elderly vaccination reservation closes, on the 4th, individual use of standby lists by entrusted medical institutions during the leftover vaccine vaccination process will be restricted. Only elderly people aged 60 and over will be allowed to make reservations and get vaccinated through standby lists by visiting or calling entrusted medical institutions. This is to prioritize the provision of leftover doses of AstraZeneca (AZ) and Janssen vaccines to the elderly.

Meanwhile, dissatisfaction is growing among frontline medical institutions and those waiting for vaccination as the authorities have shown inconsistent actions regarding detailed guidelines. The task force announced in a press release at 2:10 p.m. the previous day that "the creation and vaccination using standby lists will be operated only for those aged 60 and over starting from the 4th." This suddenly prohibited standby list vaccinations, which had previously been allowed without restrictions for those aged 30 and over. Later, in a press release distributed around 6 p.m., it was reconfirmed that "standby lists for those under 60 already prepared can be used for vaccination until the 3rd," and "those under 60 can only make reservations from leftover doses publicly available on Naver and Kakao starting from the 4th." However, this guideline was suddenly suspended at 10 p.m. The task force then informed that "standby lists already prepared by entrusted medical institutions can be used during a grace period until the 9th, when the leftover vaccine reservation service pilot ends," changing the leftover vaccine vaccination policy.

Mr. Shin, in his 40s, who received a cancellation notice for the standby list by phone the day before, said, "I don't understand why priority is given to those who didn't even make a reservation when the opportunity to reserve was actually given," and complained, "I couldn't get the Janssen vaccine, and now I can't even get leftover vaccines; isn't this too harsh?" A representative of a vaccination entrusted medical institution in Yeongdeungpo-gu said, "Yesterday, a sudden official document was issued to use standby lists only until the 3rd," adding, "There was no prior notice, and we had to hurriedly call and cancel reservations, but now they say until the 9th?it's confusing what we are supposed to do."

An official from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency explained, "The grace period until the 9th was set to reduce inconvenience for existing reservation holders who need to cancel their reservations," and emphasized, "The principle of prioritizing vaccination for the elderly remains unchanged."