Vaccinations for Ages 12-17 Begin October 18... Individual Reservations and Parental Consent Required

Vaccine Reservations for Ages 16-17 Start October 5, Vaccinations from October 18
Reservations for Ages 12-15 Begin October 18, Vaccinations from November 1
Individual Online/Phone Reservations Required, Parental Consent Form Needed at Vaccination
Four-Week Vaccination Period Given to Avoid Overlapping with Exam Schedules

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] COVID-19 vaccinations for children and adolescents aged 12 to 17, corresponding to grades 6 in elementary school through grade 2 in high school, will begin in October.

On the 27th, the Ministry of Education announced that, following the decision of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, vaccinations for 2.77 million people born between 2004 and 2009 will start on October 18. Those aged 16 to 17 will begin on October 18, and those aged 12 to 15 will start on November 1.

For high school seniors (grade 3), vaccination status was surveyed at schools and lists were submitted for group vaccinations at vaccination centers. However, adolescents aged 12 to 17 must individually book their preferred vaccination sites. If consent has been obtained in consultation with a guardian, they can access the COVID-19 vaccination pre-registration system during the pre-registration period and book vaccinations at their desired local medical institutions.

Vaccine Reservations Start October 5... Vaccination Schedule Spans 4 Weeks

Reservations and vaccinations will be conducted separately by age group. The pre-registration schedule for vaccinations is as follows: ▲16-17 years old (born 2004-2005) from 8 PM on October 5 to 6 PM on October 29 ▲12-15 years old (born 2006-2009) from 8 PM on October 18 to 6 PM on November 12. Out-of-school youth will follow the same schedule.

The first dose vaccination schedule is ▲16-17 years old from October 18 to November 13 ▲12-15 years old from November 1 to 27. Since vaccinations are conducted based on birth year, 6th graders born in 2010 are excluded from the vaccination target. The schedule for the second dose will be announced later.

An official from the Ministry of Education stated, "The interval between the first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine is 3 to 6 weeks, and at this point, we plan to proceed with the second dose at a 3-week interval." They added, "It is difficult to predict the COVID-19 vaccination participation rate, but previous influenza vaccination participation rates were around 60-70%."

Parental consent is required for children and adolescents aged 12 to 17 to receive the vaccine. A consent form from a guardian must be brought when getting vaccinated. Pre-registration is done through the website, but if internet use is difficult, phone reservations can be made by calling 1339. Guardians can also make proxy reservations via the call center. Remaining vaccine doses can be used for vaccinations, but only after the official vaccination start date of October 18 and only with the Pfizer vaccine.

Attendance Excused for Up to 2 Days After Vaccination

Since vaccinations are conducted individually, school operations during the vaccination period will follow existing social distancing levels. Attendance will be excused on the day of vaccination, the following day, and up to 2 days after vaccination. The 2-day period includes holidays, so if vaccinated on a Friday without adverse reactions, students can return to school on Monday. If adverse reactions persist beyond 3 days after vaccination, attendance will be excused for illness upon submission of a doctor's diagnosis (medical opinion).

The Ministry of Education has allocated a 4-week vaccination period and encourages scheduling vaccinations to avoid overlapping with midterm and final exam schedules. However, if vaccination coincides with exam periods, recognized scores will be granted according to regional academic performance management guidelines and school academic regulations. If vaccination occurs during evaluation periods, verification such as a doctor's diagnosis is required for attendance excusal on the first and second days after vaccination, and documentation must be submitted.

Despite a recent surge in confirmed COVID-19 cases after Chuseok, the Ministry of Education intends to maintain current school density standards according to existing social distancing levels. An official from the Ministry said, "The Ministry is closely monitoring the temporary increase in confirmed cases in cooperation with health authorities," adding, "Regarding full in-person attendance, the plan follows the social distancing level-based attendance plan, so the current plan will be maintained."

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