"Want to Get the AZ 'No-Show' Vaccine... Now Easily Find It Through Portal Search"

On the 28th of last month, soldiers aboard the Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong ship received the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine at a vaccination center installed in the Sangseunggwan of the Naval Jinhae Base Command in Gyeongnam. (Photo by the Ministry of National Defense)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Starting from the 27th, the first dose of the AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine will resume in full swing, and it is expected that the status of no-shows (unfulfilled reservations) for these vaccines can be easily checked through portal services such as Naver and Kakao, allowing people to get vaccinated.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced on the 25th that they have developed a feature that allows convenient checking of leftover vaccines and same-day vaccination reservations using the map platforms of Naver and Kakao, which are public secretary service agencies, and will begin a two-week pilot operation starting on the 27th.

Through this service, it will be possible to check the entrusted medical institutions such as general hospitals and clinics where leftover AZ vaccines have occurred and make same-day vaccination reservations.

Currently, one vial of the AZ vaccine contains enough doses for about 10 people. If vaccination is not completed within 6 hours after opening, the remaining vaccine must be discarded. In cases where the health condition on the day is not good after reservation, or vaccination is deemed impossible during the preliminary examination, or if the person does not visit the vaccination institution after reservation (no-show), all of the reserved vaccine must be discarded.

As a measure to minimize such vaccine waste, the government has developed a function to disclose leftover vaccine occurrence information to the general public and allow people who wish to be vaccinated at nearby entrusted medical institutions to make same-day reservations and get vaccinated.

In particular, similar to the public mask data disclosure format during the early spread of COVID-19 last year, it plans to enable users to check leftover vaccine information by vaccination institution at a glance on the map platforms provided by Naver and Kakao. Also, it will include a feature that allows same-day reservations if one can quickly visit a nearby vaccination institution to receive the vaccine.

Once this service is introduced, it is expected to greatly alleviate the inconvenience not only for those hoping to get no-show vaccines but also for existing reservation holders. Currently, to open one vial of the AZ vaccine, at least 7 people must be reserved at the medical institution. However, with the system introduction, this criterion will be relaxed to 5 or more.

The 'Leftover Vaccine Same-Day Reservation' service will undergo a two-week pilot operation starting on the 27th, and after addressing any shortcomings, it will be officially operated from the 9th of next month.

Naver App Remaining Vaccine Inquiry Status Example (Photo by Naver)

This service operates by having AZ vaccine entrusted medical institutions register the quantity of leftover vaccines occurring on the day in the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s vaccination system, and then Naver and Kakao link this information to provide it to the general public in map form.

On Naver, leftover vaccine inquiries can be made by searching '잔여백신' (leftover vaccine) in the Naver app, Naver Map app, or Naver search bar. Kakao plans to enable inquiries by selecting the '잔여백신' tab in the bottom shop (#) tab of KakaoTalk or through the Kakao Map app.

By searching, users can check and select entrusted medical institutions where leftover vaccines have occurred and complete same-day reservation by clicking ‘Reserve’. However, identity verification is required to confirm the personal information of the reserver, and if the user has already issued a Naver or Kakao certificate, identity verification can be skipped.

Additionally, a notification function is provided. Users can pre-register up to 5 specific entrusted medical institutions, and when leftover vaccines occur at those institutions, they will receive notifications and can make same-day reservations.

On the leftover vaccine inquiry screen, after selecting a vaccination institution and clicking ‘Apply for Notification’, users can receive real-time information about leftover vaccine occurrences registered by the institution via Naver notifications and KakaoTalk Wallet channels.

However, those who have already been vaccinated or have prior reservations, and those under 30 years old for whom AZ vaccination is not recommended, cannot make same-day reservations for leftover vaccines. Also, same-day reservations for leftover vaccines are completed in the order of reservation applications. Once same-day reservations reach the amount of leftover vaccines, no further same-day reservations are possible at that vaccination institution.

Jeong Eun-kyung, head of the Vaccination Promotion Team, stated, "Vaccination can greatly reduce both the possibility of COVID-19 infection and the risk of death," and added, "Through this system upgrade, we expect more citizens to participate in vaccination."

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