Remaining vaccine doses remain at '0'... Getting vaccinated through SNS is like "catching stars in the sky"

Controversy Over 'Fairness' in Opaque List Management by Hospital Officials and Others

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] "I got my name on the standby list and received the COVID-19 vaccine because an acquaintance is a hospital doctor."

Since the 27th, leftover vaccine vaccinations through Naver (NAVER) and Kakao have started, but as the approximately 13,000 entrusted medical institutions prefer to use their own standby lists rather than social networking services (SNS), controversy over fairness has erupted.

With ‘blind list management’ involving hospital staff acquaintances, complaints are pouring in from various places that getting leftover vaccines through SNS is like "catching stars in the sky."

According to the status of first-dose recipients at entrusted medical institutions released by the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team on the 31st, from the 27th to midnight on the 29th, 9,046 people made same-day reservations through Naver, KakaoTalk, etc., and received their first dose. Considering that 147,914 people during the same period were on standby lists via phone calls and then received their first dose, vaccination through SNS is still at a low level.

Park, living in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, said, "Five acquaintances got vaccinated simultaneously a few days ago, but it turned out that one of them was related to a doctor," and added, "The other four got their names on the standby list through word of mouth, isn’t that unfair?"

Even frontline hospitals and clinics are reluctant to use the leftover vaccine reservation system via Naver and Kakao, raising concerns about its ineffectiveness. The SNS-based reservation system is scheduled to be officially operated from the 9th of next month after a pilot operation.

Currently, most medical institutions are conducting leftover vaccine vaccinations using existing standby lists. A hospital in Mapo-gu said, "If we post leftover vaccines on Naver or Kakao, we get too many phone inquiries, so we are not using it yet," adding, "Since leftover vaccines are not abundant, we plan to receive standby lists only by phone."

It is also regrettable that only the AstraZeneca vaccine can be administered at present. The Pfizer leftover vaccine pre-reservation system has not yet been introduced. Choi, in his 20s, said, "I am curious about how leftover Pfizer vaccines are currently being administered," and added, "If the Pfizer vaccine is included in the leftover vaccine pre-reservation system, I am willing to actively participate."

Although the leftover vaccine ‘zero’ situation continues, all management is effectively entrusted entirely to frontline hospitals and clinics by each public health center. A Seodaemun-gu public health center official explained, "Leftover vaccine management is entirely handled by hospitals," and added, "The public health center cannot provide guidance, so individuals have no choice but to inquire at the respective hospitals or check in real time through SNS."

Regarding this, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency stated, "In the future, leftover vaccines will be registered in the vaccination registration system and expanded to a method where opportunities are given to those wishing to be vaccinated through an app."

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