When Will Pfizer Residual Vaccine Inoculations Begin?... mRNA Delegated Medical Institution Inoculations Also Being Promoted (Comprehensive)

On the 12th, medical staff at the health center administered the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the COVID-19 vaccination center in Buk-gu, Gwangju. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The application process for receiving leftover COVID-19 vaccines, aimed at preventing the disposal of unused vaccines due to 'no-shows' after booking, is expected to become much easier. However, the system for accepting leftover vaccine applications from the general public will be implemented only for the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine for the time being. The government plans to introduce a leftover vaccine application system through vaccination centers in the future and select entrusted medical institutions capable of administering messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna.

Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, announced at the regular COVID-19 briefing on the 25th, "Starting this Thursday (the 27th), we will confirm entrusted medical institutions with leftover AZ vaccines and begin same-day vaccination reservations." From 1 p.m. on the 27th, a system will be launched allowing users to check the status of leftover vaccines at each entrusted medical institution and apply immediately via portal services such as NAVER and Kakao. This service will undergo a two-week pilot operation and officially launch on the 9th of next month.

Currently, one vial of the AZ vaccine contains enough doses for about 10 people. If vaccination is not completed within six hours after opening, the remaining vaccine must be discarded. If the vaccinated person is unwell on the day of the appointment, deemed ineligible during the preliminary examination, or fails to show up at the vaccination site after booking, any leftover vaccine must be discarded.

To minimize such vaccine waste, the government has developed a function that publicly shares leftover vaccine occurrence information with the general public, allowing those wishing to be vaccinated at nearby entrusted medical institutions to make same-day reservations. This service can be used at entrusted medical institutions in different regions regardless of the registrant's residential address.

In particular, similar to the public mask data release format during the early spread of COVID-19 last year, leftover vaccine information by vaccination institution will be viewable at a glance on maps provided by NAVER and Kakao's mapping platforms. Additionally, a feature enabling same-day reservations for those who can quickly visit nearby vaccination sites will be included. Once this service is introduced, it is expected to greatly alleviate inconveniences not only for no-show vaccine applicants but also for existing reservation holders. Currently, at least seven people must be booked at a medical institution to open one vial of the AZ vaccine. However, with the new system, this requirement will be relaxed to five or more.

Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

However, the Pfizer vaccine is excluded from this leftover vaccine application system. Yang Dong-gyo, head of the Vaccination Implementation Division at the COVID-19 Vaccination Promotion Team, stated at the briefing, "(In the case of Pfizer vaccines) if leftover vaccines remain after unavoidable vial opening, they will be administered to candidates on a standby list prepared by each center."

Yang added about the standby list, "It includes ▲unvaccinated seniors aged 75 and older in towns, townships, and neighborhoods where unvaccinated individuals have been identified ▲seniors living near the center who have not been vaccinated ▲staff operating the center ▲support personnel such as neighborhood leaders or volunteers assisting with vaccinations on the day ▲and social essential workers like firefighters, police officers, and coast guards who are under 30 and thus not recommended for the AZ vaccine." This list will be used to facilitate vaccination.

However, the government has expressed its intention to establish a leftover vaccine system for vaccinations through vaccination centers in the future. Park Young-jun, head of the Adverse Reaction Investigation Team at the Promotion Team, said, "In the future, a pre-booking system will be introduced for vaccinations through vaccination centers, and at that time, the leftover vaccine reservation function will likely need to be expanded. Until then, the vaccination center standby lists will continue to be managed independently as they are now."

Furthermore, the government is also pushing to select entrusted medical institutions capable of administering mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna, which require frozen distribution and are currently only administered at vaccination centers. Kim Ki-nam, head of the Vaccination Planning Division at the Promotion Team, explained, "In addition to vaccination centers, we plan to select entrusted medical institutions that can administer Pfizer vaccines. Starting in July, vaccinations will be actively conducted at entrusted medical institutions as well."

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