18-49 Age Group '200,000' Vaccinated Ahead of Chuseok... "Sufficient Reservation Capacity Remains"

"To Reschedule for Next Month 6-12, You Must Change Your Reservation by Tomorrow (26th)"

On the 24th, when the first-dose COVID-19 vaccination rate in South Korea surpassed 50 percent, citizens visiting the COVID-19 vaccination center set up at Bukahyeon Cultural Center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, received their vaccine shots. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Among the 18-49 age group who pre-booked COVID-19 vaccinations, approximately 200,000 cases have changed their appointments to dates before Chuseok. Authorities have recently increased the number of vaccinations available before Chuseok and enabled schedule adjustments starting from the previous day, following the partial resolution of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine supply issues.

Hwang Ho-pyeong, Team Leader of the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Task Force's Vaccination Implementation Team 1, stated at the COVID-19 briefing on the 25th, "With the expanded vaccine supply capacity, the reservation capacity before Chuseok has increased by more than 2 million. Even if you have booked after Chuseok, please change your reservation to before Chuseok, between September 6 and 19, if possible."

He added, "Especially, if you want to move your vaccination date forward to between September 6 and 12, you must complete the reservation change by midnight on the 26th to allow for vaccine delivery. We will individually notify those who have already booked after Chuseok."

Recently, Moderna notified that it will supply 6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the first week of September, which has also eased the September vaccination plan compared to initial expectations. The government decided to prioritize this supply for the first dose among the 18-49 age group, making it possible for those who booked after Chuseok to receive vaccinations in early to mid-September.

Since reservation changes became possible from the previous day, the number of people who have rebooked is still below 200,000. Team Leader Hwang said, "We have secured capacity for more than 2 million, but currently fewer than 200,000 have participated, so there is still plenty of availability. Please change your reservation to an earlier date if possible."

Currently, in the pre-booking system, you must cancel your existing reservation to change it. This has raised concerns that attempting to move the appointment earlier might result in canceling the original reservation and receiving the vaccination later than planned. Regarding this, Team Leader Hwang emphasized, "Technically, it is not possible to make another reservation without canceling the existing one. However, there is ample availability for all reservations after September 6. While you may experience a brief period when the institution's reservation is unavailable during the cancellation and rebooking process, there will be no case where you cannot book at all."

Hong Jeong-ik, Manager of the Vaccination Management Team at the Task Force, said, "Achieving over 70% first-dose vaccination coverage nationwide before Chuseok is fully possible in terms of vaccine supply and vaccination capacity. If the 18-49 age group actively participates in reservations and actually receives vaccinations, this goal can be sufficiently achieved."

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