Free Flu Vaccinations for Middle and High School Students Starting Today: "Make Reservations via App or Phone Before Visiting"

Temporary Suspension of National Vaccination Resumes from the 13th
Elderly to Receive Vaccinations Sequentially from the 19th
Only Eligible Recipients Can Make Reservations in Advance During This Period

A citizen is receiving a flu vaccination at the Korea Health Management Association Seoul Eastern Branch in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The national influenza (flu) vaccination support program, which was suspended in late last month, will resume from the 13th. After investigating and collecting vaccines exposed to room temperature during transportation, free vaccinations will begin, allowing those aged 13 to 18 to receive vaccinations from this day. Free vaccinations for the elderly, which start at one-week intervals, are generally not allowed unless there are unavoidable circumstances.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), children under 12 years old and pregnant women, who have been receiving free vaccinations, as well as children aged 13 to 18, mainly middle and high school students, can receive free vaccinations at primary medical institutions from this day. Health authorities advised that both vaccine recipients and their guardians wear masks when visiting medical institutions and to notify in advance and postpone vaccination if they have fever or respiratory symptoms before the visit.

Places to receive flu vaccinations can be checked on the Vaccination Helper website or application. It is recommended to make a reservation before visiting. Initially, the authorities had set concentrated vaccination periods divided by elementary, middle, and high school students, but due to the issue of vaccines exposed to room temperature, they changed the policy to allow any middle and high school student to be vaccinated from this day without distinction. Children who only need one vaccination should receive it before the end of this year. Infants and pregnant women who require two doses can get vaccinated until the end of April next year.

Citizens are lining up to receive flu vaccinations at the Korea Health Management Association Seoul Eastern Branch in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul.

Along with the start of free vaccinations, the elderly, who tend to flock to medical institutions, will begin free vaccinations from the 19th for those aged 70 and above. Those aged 62 to 69 will start from the 26th, one week later. Elderly vaccinations will also continue until the end of this year. This year, guidelines have been revised to allow flu vaccinations for elderly residents in medical welfare facilities, residential welfare facilities for the elderly, facilities for the disabled, mental health care facilities, and rehabilitation and nursing facilities for the homeless, if a contracted doctor is present.

However, health authorities explained that it is better to get vaccinated at a local clinic or medical institution that the recipient usually visits and where the health status of the vaccination target is well known. To disperse vaccination times, some local governments considered a five-day rotation system, but it was judged to be difficult to apply nationwide. Experts recommend avoiding congestion at medical institutions during the early vaccination period by using a pre-reservation system via phone calls or other means.

Free vaccinations start on the 19th for those aged 70 and above, and on the 26th for those aged 62 and above
Vaccinations are only possible during the designated period unless visiting the hospital for other reasons

For pre-reservations through the dedicated app, vaccination targets are allowed to make reservations only if they fall within the support program period. However, the KDCA stated that even if it is outside the vaccination period, it is possible to receive free vaccinations when visiting a medical institution for other illnesses. Otherwise, individuals must check if they are eligible during the vaccination period, and if not, vaccination is generally not allowed. Even those eligible for free vaccinations can receive paid flu vaccines at any time.

Although it was revealed that vaccines were exposed to room temperature during transportation and recently precipitates were found in vaccines from a specific manufacturer, causing a stir, the government believes there are no quality issues. While there are no quality problems, the government cannot completely rule out the possibility of reduced preventive effectiveness and has instructed that all such vaccines be returned. The collected vaccines amount to about 1 million doses (1 dose equals one vaccination). Even though flu vaccination rates are expected to rise significantly compared to last year due to COVID-19 concerns, health authorities do not foresee a shortage of vaccines.

Due to COVID-19 measures such as mask-wearing, social distancing, and handwashing, the number of flu patients has significantly decreased this year. According to the KDCA, in the 40th week of this year (September 27 to October 3), the number of influenza-like illness patients (those with sudden fever of 38.0°C or higher and cough or sore throat) was 1.4 per 1,000 outpatients, which is about one-third of 3.9 during the same period last year. This is far below the epidemic threshold of 5.8.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.