Reservation for Ages 55-59 Resumes at 8 PM... "Vaccination for Early 50s Delayed by 1 Week" (Summary)

Reservation for Ages 55-59 Resumes at 8 PM on the 14th
Vaccination Period Extended to the 14th of Next Month

Next Priority Vaccination for Ages 50-54 Starts on the 16th
Delayed by One Week Considering Moderna Delivery Schedule
'Age-Based Staggered Reservations' Introduced... Expected to Apply to Under 40s as Well

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Pre-booking for COVID-19 vaccinations for those aged 55 to 59 will resume from 8 p.m. on the 14th. This comes just two days after reservations were halted in less than 15 hours on the first day of pre-booking on the 12th due to a shortage of supply. Initially, the government planned to accept additional reservations starting on the 19th, but amid strong criticism that the process was essentially a 'first-come, first-served' system, the schedule was hastily moved forward.

However, the vaccination schedule for the next group, those aged 50 to 54, has been pushed back by about a week. Originally, their vaccination was planned to start on August 9, but considering the delivery schedule of the Moderna vaccine, it has been adjusted to begin on August 16.

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), stated in a briefing that “for this pre-booking, reservations were prioritized for quantities confirmed by the time the reservation opened,” explaining the plan. She added, “The amount of Moderna vaccine arriving in the third quarter is sufficient for people in their 50s to receive both the first and second doses,” and emphasized, “We have improved inconveniences related to pre-booking by adjusting the start time from midnight to 8 p.m., alleviating the discomfort of having to wait late into the night, and we have separated the start time and target groups for reservations.”

Accordingly, those aged 55 to 59 who were unable to make a reservation previously can now book from 8 p.m. on the 14th until 6 p.m. on the 24th. Actual vaccinations will take place from the 26th of this month to August 14. Those who completed pre-booking on the 12th will be vaccinated as originally planned from the 26th to August 7.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, the aftermath of the early closure of the previous pre-booking is unlikely to subside easily. Distrust has already grown because the vaccination plan for people in their 50s was made based on supply assumptions, despite the vaccine delivery schedule being uncertain. The government announced that 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines would be delivered in July, but nearly half of that amount had actually arrived by this date, consisting of 2,127,000 doses of Pfizer (including doses supplied through Israel vaccine swaps) and 750,000 doses of Moderna. Director Jung said, “More Moderna vaccine doses are expected to be supplied in August and September rather than July,” adding, “We are currently finalizing the weekly supply schedule for August. While the total quantity is sufficient, there is still a possibility that the vaccination schedule may be adjusted in detail.”

In fact, the vaccination schedule for those aged 50 to 54, originally planned to start on the 9th of next month, has been adjusted to August 16 to 25. Regarding concerns that vaccinations for those aged 18 to 49, planned for mid to late August, might also be delayed, Director Jung explained, “Vaccinations for people in their 40s will not start only after the 50s are finished,” and added, “For those aged 40 and below, Pfizer vaccines will be the main vaccine used, with Moderna vaccines also being utilized.”

On the other hand, the issue of the website crashing due to a surge in applications on the first day of reservations is expected to improve somewhat. For those aged 50 to 54, whose pre-booking starts on the 19th, the reservation times have been subdivided by age. Those aged 53 to 54 can make reservations from 8 p.m. on the 19th, while those aged 50 to 52 can reserve from 8 p.m. on the 20th. From 8 p.m. on the 21st, reservations can be made regardless of age. Authorities plan to use various measures, including the age-based staggered system and a 5-day rotation system similar to mask distribution, especially for the large-scale reservations for those aged 40 and below in August.

Meanwhile, for the elderly group aged 60 to 74, those who canceled or postponed their reservations due to health reasons or other delays during the previous pre-booking period will have their reservations and vaccinations conducted during the same period as those aged 55 to 59.

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