COVID-19 Vaccine Reservations for People in Their 50s: Second Major Rush Expected on the 19th

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The pre-booking for COVID-19 vaccination for those aged 55-59 was closed early on the first day due to exceeding the number of reservations, and as additional reservations resume on the 19th, anxiety among people in their 50s is increasing. Out of 3,524,000 eligible individuals, 1,850,000 had completed reservations as of the previous day, and 1,674,000 more need to make reservations, raising concerns about repeated server crashes. Especially since both vaccine supply and vaccination schedules have not been finalized, a 'second crisis' is feared.

"They said reservations would be open for 6 days," but it closed in one day... Additional reservations on the 19th

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team on the 13th, the vaccination reservation for the 55-59 age group was originally scheduled to proceed for six days from the 12th to the 17th of this month, but it ended early as all 1,850,000 vaccine doses prepared for the first day, the 12th, were fully booked. The team announced plans to conduct additional reservations from the 19th to the 24th.

Reservations for people in their 50s caused inconvenience from the start due to connection delays and site crashes. Park, a person in their 20s living in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, said, "I tried to help my parents who are not familiar with PCs by accessing the site around 3:34 a.m., but the estimated waiting time was 13,409 minutes (223 hours), which was absurd," adding, "The site was completely inaccessible, and the waiting time was too long, so I gave up, slept for about an hour, and finally managed to make a reservation after 4 a.m." There is a possibility that the same phenomenon will repeat during the pre-booking resuming on the 19th.

On the 12th, when vaccination reservations for those aged 55 to 59 were closed early, a surge of users caused a waiting queue to appear.

The government explained, "The delay and errors in the 55-59 age group pre-booking process were due to more simultaneous users than initially expected," and added, "We will promptly prepare improvement measures to quickly distribute network load." However, the fundamental problem lies in the 'vaccine supply.' Although there are about 3.52 million people eligible for vaccination in the 55-59 age group, the vaccine supply announced belatedly after the early closure was only enough for 1.85 million people.

So far, the government has not disclosed the total amount of vaccines secured. Those aged 55-59 who complete additional reservations from the 19th to the 24th are scheduled to be vaccinated from August 2 to August 7, but this schedule is also subject to change. The promotion team added a caveat, saying, "The period may be adjusted depending on the confirmed vaccine supply dates." Even those who have successfully made reservations remain anxious. Park said, "The interval for Moderna vaccine doses is 4 weeks, but my second dose appointment was set for 5 weeks later."

On the 19th, reservations for ages 50-54 overlap... Possible site overload

On the 5th, as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout intensified in the second half of the year, citizens were receiving vaccinations at the vaccination center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Especially on the 19th, when vaccination for the 55-59 age group resumes, it is also the first day for reservation for 3.9 million people aged 50-54. With unreserved 55-59-year-olds and 50-54-year-olds hoping to get vaccinated making reservations simultaneously, there is a possibility of site overload.

This kind of connection chaos has repeated whenever new vaccines and vaccination targets were introduced. In June, Janssen vaccination for reservists and others caused major confusion due to reservation system crashes. The problem is that as the number of vaccination targets increases in the third quarter, a domino effect may occur.

If vaccination for people in their 50s is not completed as planned, vaccination for those under 40 scheduled for late August may be disrupted. Regarding this, the promotion team said, "Sufficient vaccine supplies are expected to be introduced in the third quarter, and vaccinations will proceed smoothly according to the already announced vaccination plan."

As the number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases has remained in the 1,000s for a week, signaling the full onset of the 'fourth wave,' responsibility for the situation is being raised, especially in political circles, against Ki Mo-ran, the Blue House's quarantine planning officer. It is pointed out that the surge in COVID-19 cases was due to the Blue House, the disaster control tower, responding complacently to quarantine measures.

Professor Jung Jae-hoon of Gachon University College of Medicine's Department of Preventive Medicine emphasized, "To achieve herd immunity goals in the third quarter, vaccination must be conducted efficiently and rapidly, focusing on high-risk groups," adding, "Communication between the government and experts is not properly conducted; expert opinions should be fully considered, and quarantine and vaccination plans must be thoroughly established."

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