"How much longer do we have to wait for the COVID-19 vaccine? I couldn't wait any longer, so I left."
Office worker Choi Mi-yeon (31, pseudonym) is traveling in the United States using her sabbatical leave, which she received after three years at her company. She arrived in the U.S. a week ago and made a reservation to receive the Moderna vaccine at CVS, a large pharmacy chain near LA. She was able to choose and receive vaccines such as Moderna and Pfizer, which are mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines recognized for their safety in Korea, as well as the single-dose Janssen vaccine. Choi said, "I came to the U.S. for a month to get my first and second vaccine doses. The vaccine supply was getting delayed more and more, and I was very anxious not knowing when I could get vaccinated. I thought I could definitely get vaccinated here in the U.S., so I even traveled here."
People overwhelmed by unstable vaccine supplies and fierce reservation competition in Korea are heading to the U.S. The U.S. currently offers free COVID-19 vaccinations to foreign tourists as well. After making a reservation online at a local vaccination site, vaccination is administered simply by temperature check and presenting a passport. Because vaccination is possible without complicated procedures or competition, more people are traveling to the U.S. during vacations and school breaks.
Kim Ho-young (25), a university student who got vaccinated in New York, said, "In Korea, it seemed like people in their 20s would be the last to get vaccinated. It was attractive that I could enjoy traveling during a time when overseas travel was difficult." He added, "The process is simple here in the U.S., but it is unfortunate that even if people want to get vaccinated in Korea, they cannot due to vaccine shortages."
Some travel agencies have even launched U.S. travel packages that include vaccination. There is a 25-night, 27-day package for first and second doses. The travel agencies say that Korean medical staff monitor for side effects for two days after vaccination. Among some overseas vaccine recipients, there are calls to exempt them from the two-week self-quarantine upon returning to Korea. According to quarantine authorities’ guidelines, self-quarantine is not exempted for overseas vaccine recipients who traveled for non-essential purposes such as tourism. However, experts also point out that overseas travel can still be risky due to the spread of variant viruses. Professor Cheon Eun-mi of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Ewha Mokdong Hospital said, "Various COVID-19 variants such as Delta and Lambda are spreading. Traveling abroad now is risky, and I would not recommend it. Vaccine tourism is also problematic overseas because it is difficult to receive treatment if side effects occur, and infection can happen after the first dose."
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