Jinju-si Expands Eligibility for COVID-19 Remaining Vaccine Inoculation

Overseas Students and Registered Foreigners Can Receive Leftover Vaccines When Volunteering at Vaccination Centers
COVID-19 First Dose Vaccination Rate at 31.9%, Higher Than National and Gyeongnam Rates

COVID-19 Remaining Vaccine Inoculation Photo by Jinju City

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Jinju City, Gyeongnam Province announced on the 19th that it will expand the criteria for COVID-19 leftover vaccine inoculation.

The city established its own criteria allowing leftover COVID-19 vaccines to be administered to businesspeople who have difficulty traveling abroad, overseas students, and those who need to visit abroad for special purposes, provided they volunteer at the vaccination center. These groups were previously not eligible under the existing 'special activity purpose overseas travel criteria.'

Furthermore, the eligibility criteria were expanded to allow overseas students enrolled in local universities aged 18 and over, registered foreigners, and employees working in COVID-19 infectious disease prevention and public service duties to receive leftover vaccines if they volunteer for up to 8 hours at the vaccination center.

However, those who belong to the monthly vaccination plan target group or are in the process of vaccination, those eligible for vaccination fees, local government autonomous vaccination monthly target groups, those included in priority vaccination or vaccination plan age groups but did not make a reservation, those who canceled or changed their reservation among pre-registrants, those judged unfit for vaccination after medical examination, and those wishing to receive heterologous vaccination (different vaccines for first and second doses) are excluded.

As of the 16th, the percentage of people who completed vaccination in Jinju City is 12.9%, totaling 45,166 people, and the first dose recipients account for 31.9%, totaling 111,263 people. These figures are higher than the national average of 31.5% and Gyeongnam Province's 31.5%.

Mayor Jo Gyu-il stated, “Recently, infections are spreading among young and middle-aged groups who have high social activity but relatively low vaccination rates,” and urged, “We ask those in their 50s and younger who have not yet been vaccinated to actively participate in vaccination to help achieve early herd immunity.”