"Let's Get Vaccinated Quickly and Travel Abroad" Citizens' Growing Interest in the 'No-Show Vaccine' That Almost Got Discarded

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"Will 2-Week Self-Quarantine Be Exempted?", "I Plan to Travel to Europe After Vaccination" Citizens Show Growing Interest

On the morning of the 27th of last month, medical staff at the Gwangju Buk-gu COVID-19 Vaccination Center administered vaccines to the general public aged 75 and older. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The government announced that for so-called 'No show' vaccines, even those not originally eligible for vaccination can receive them, sparking growing public interest. A No show vaccine refers to doses left unused when scheduled recipients do not show up. Some expect that after receiving a No show vaccine, they might be able to travel abroad starting this summer.

On the 30th of last month, numerous inquiries such as "How can I apply for a No show vaccine?" appeared on travel-related internet communities, cafes, and social networking services (SNS).

One netizen said, "I saw on the news that the government will allow anyone, even those not scheduled, to get vaccinated to prevent the disposal of No show vaccines," adding, "If I get vaccinated first, I can be protected from COVID-19, and various restrictions like overseas travel might be lifted in advance, so I am interested."

No show vaccines refer to surplus doses left unused when scheduled recipients do not appear. Previously, the government announced that to reduce the disposal of No show vaccines, vaccination would be allowed on-site to anyone who wants it.

On the 28th of last month, the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team stated at a regular briefing, "The standby list created to avoid vaccine wastage has no specific eligibility restrictions, and even those not on the standby list can receive vaccination."

On the 23rd of last month, citizens are receiving vaccinations at the Suseong-gu COVID-19 Vaccination Center installed at the Daegu Suseong-gu Athletics Promotion Center. / Photo by Yonhap News

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine currently administered on-site can vaccinate about 10 people per vial. However, if scheduled recipients do not show up, leftover vaccine material must be discarded entirely within 6 hours of opening, according to the 'discard within 6 hours after opening' principle. To prevent such vaccine wastage, the Promotion Team has permitted vaccination for hopeful recipients only for No show vaccines.

Given this situation, inquiries about receiving No show vaccines are reportedly continuing at public health center vaccination sites.

For example, according to 'Yonhap News,' as of the 29th of last month, many inquiries about No show vaccine vaccinations have been received in several regions including Chungnam, Busan, and Ulsan.

COVID-19 Prevention Notice Inside the Airport / Photo by Yonhap News

The reason citizens show interest in No show vaccines appears to be the expectation of receiving 'quarantine exemption' benefits.

Previously, health authorities announced plans to exempt vaccinated individuals from a two-week self-quarantine. Just as those vaccinated domestically are exempted from two-week quarantine upon returning from overseas, the same status will be granted to foreigners who can prove vaccination.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, explained at a regular briefing held at the Osong Disease Control Agency in Chungbuk on the 29th of last month, "We will establish a method to verify the authenticity of vaccination certificates issued by the countries where vaccination was completed for those vaccinated abroad."

In this regard, some travel-related communities posted messages expressing expectations such as, "If I get vaccinated first and the two-week quarantine is exempted, I can definitely travel abroad," "If I can only get the No show vaccine, I will prepare for a trip to Europe right away," and "Although it might be difficult to obtain the vaccine, I am happy to have a way to go abroad first."

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