'19.95 Million Targeted'... Vaccination Plan for August-September Announced, 18-49 Age Group Also Eligible

Announcement of the Largest Vaccination Plan Ever
Aiming to Achieve 70% First Dose Vaccination Completion Nationwide by September

Introduction of '10-Day Rotation System' for Reservations of Ages 18-49
Pre-Booking Scheduled According to Birthdate Ending Digit

On the 29th, citizens who completed their vaccinations are waiting to monitor for adverse reactions at the vaccination center set up at Bukahyeon Culture and Sports Center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The 'COVID-19 Vaccination Implementation Plan for August-September' targeting those aged 18-49, who have been waiting for vaccination, has been released. This is the largest-scale vaccination plan ever, with a total of about 19.95 million people scheduled to receive their first dose by September.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced the August-September COVID-19 vaccination implementation plan on the 30th. The core goal of this plan is to achieve vaccination for 36 million people, which is 70% of the entire population, by September. To this end, the plan includes vaccination for 17,773,190 general citizens aged 18-49. This is the largest single vaccination group announced so far.

The newly announced vaccination plan covers a total of 19.95 million people. This includes 17,773,190 general citizens aged 18-49 (including 2 million for local government autonomous vaccination), plus ▲296,000 people with developmental disabilities and users of vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled ▲10,000 seafarers and international navigation workers ▲1,860,900 unvaccinated elderly (600,000 aged 75 and over, 1,269,000 aged 60-74).

Including those previously announced but not yet vaccinated ▲3.9 million people aged 50-54 ▲100,000 other university entrance exam candidates, the total number of first-dose vaccination targets scheduled for August-September approaches 24 million. The government plans to achieve the initial goal of vaccinating 36 million people, or over 70% of the population, by September. As of midnight on the day, 18,729,701 people have completed their first dose, so even if only 75% of the August-September vaccination targets receive their shots, the goal will be met.

People in their 20s will finally get vaccinated

On the afternoon of the 2nd, a conscript scheduled to enlist between July and September is receiving the Pfizer vaccine at the COVID-19 vaccination center set up at the Dongjak-gu Community Sports Center in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The core of this plan is vaccination for the 18-49 age group. Especially, despite their high social activity, they have been excluded from vaccination, and their low vaccination rate has been cited as one of the main causes of the '4th wave' spread. The promotion team also set the goal of blocking COVID-19 transmission and controlling the epidemic through this measure.

The vaccination target for ages 18-49 is 17,773,190 people. The total population aged 18-49 is 24,061,541, but 6,288,351 people who are already eligible for vaccination or have received leftover vaccines, such as essential social workers and workers in infection-vulnerable facilities, are excluded. The promotion team decided not to divide by age order but to conduct individual pre-registrations and vaccinations, judging that the COVID-19 severity rate for ages 18-49 is not high, ranging from 0.1% to 0.9%.

All of them will receive mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna. The AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine has already been approved for those aged 50 and over, and Janssen and Novavax are considered options due to uncertain future supply.

Vaccinations will be conducted from August 26 to September 30 at either designated medical institutions or vaccination centers chosen by the individuals. The pre-registration period will be held for 10 days from August 9 to 18.

'10-day system' for staggered reservations... Preventing pre-registration system access failures

This pre-registration introduces a staggered reservation system for the first time. The promotion team decided to implement a '10-day system' for vaccination of those under 40. This method is based on the last digit of the resident registration number's birth date.

For example, on August 9, the first day of pre-registration, people born on the 9th, 19th, and 29th can make reservations. On August 11, those born on the 1st, 11th, 21st, and 31st are eligible to reserve.

The promotion team explained, "This measure is to minimize waiting times and alleviate inconvenience by dispersing the large-scale pre-registration target groups."

"By evenly distributing the available vaccination slots by date and medical institution, convenience and fairness of vaccination will be enhanced."

Those eligible on each date can make reservations from 8 p.m. on the reservation day until 6 p.m. the next day. If they miss this window, they can make reservations during the additional reservation period from August 19 to 21. From August 22 to September 17, all targets can make additional reservations or changes, and additional reservations for those who did not participate in the 10-day system will also be implemented.

Bus drivers, delivery workers, cafe employees, etc. receive 'priority vaccination'

On the morning of the 13th, a number indicating the pre-vaccination screening was displayed on the electronic board at a COVID-19 vaccination center set up in a district office in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Additionally, considering the characteristics and quarantine situations of local governments, about 2 million people aged 18-49 who are judged to need priority vaccination by each local government will begin vaccination earlier, from August 17, ahead of the original start date of August 26.

▲Essential workers such as public transportation workers, delivery workers, and sanitation workers ▲Close contacts of children and adolescents such as academy and indoor sports facility workers ▲Workers in high-risk facilities such as general and rest restaurants, karaoke rooms, and PC rooms ▲Vaccination-excluded groups such as people with disabilities, foreign workers, and international students are the targets.

The vaccines used will be Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines, and vaccinations will be conducted at vaccination centers.

Both pre-registration and vaccination schedules will be advanced compared to the general 18-49 age group. Pre-registration will be held from August 3 to 6, and vaccinations will take place from August 17 to September 11.

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