"Vaccination Date Changed Without Any Notice"...Confusion Over 2nd Dose Rescheduling Without Individual Notification

Government Adjusts Second COVID-19 Vaccination Dates for October and November... No Individual Notifications
"Changing Dates Arbitrarily Disrupts Plans," Citizens Complain
KCDC: "We Will Select Target List and Provide Sequential Guidance"

On the morning of the 28th, citizens who completed their COVID-19 vaccination at the vaccination center set up in Mapo-gu Sports Center, Seoul, are waiting for adverse reaction monitoring. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] As the government announced that it will move up the vaccination dates for those scheduled for their second Pfizer and Moderna shots in October and November, confusion continues due to the sudden changes in vaccination dates. Previously, the government stated that it would individually notify the recipients of the adjusted schedule, but many cases have emerged where people did not receive any notification about the changed dates.

On the 28th, A, a worker in their 20s, heard from a colleague that the second vaccine shot date had been moved up. Out of curiosity, A checked their reservation and found that their vaccination date, originally scheduled for the 14th of next month, had been moved up by a week to the 7th. A said they had not received any notification regarding this change.

A said, "If they change the date without prior notice, what are people with schedules supposed to do?" and added, "I couldn’t get vaccinated next week due to prior commitments, so I tried to reschedule to another day in the second week of October, but apparently, many people like me tried to change their dates, so they said it was not possible. In the end, I postponed my vaccination by a week."

Many netizens posted on online communities that they experienced similar situations as A. They complained about the inconvenience caused by the adjusted schedule, saying things like "My date was moved up by a week too," "Shouldn't they contact us if the vaccination date changes?" and "If I hadn’t personally checked my reservation, I would have gone on the original date."

There was even a citizen who received a message to come for their second shot the very next day. B, a worker in their 20s, said, "I was originally scheduled for my second shot on October 4th, but I received a text telling me to come tomorrow (the 29th), five days earlier. It turned out to be due to adjustments in the vaccination interval and substitute holidays. It’s absurd to change it arbitrarily without any notice."

The government announced that it will move up the vaccination dates for those scheduled to receive their second doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in October and November. However, some citizens are experiencing confusion due to not receiving any notification. Photo by Online Community Capture

Earlier, the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team (Promotion Team) announced the fourth-quarter COVID-19 vaccination implementation plan on the 27th, stating that the vaccination dates for those scheduled for their second Pfizer and Moderna shots in October and November would be moved up.

Initially, considering the uncertainty in Moderna vaccine supply, the Promotion Team had adjusted the interval for the second dose to 6 weeks starting from August 16. However, to expedite the second dose, those scheduled for vaccination between the second week of October and the first week of November (October 11 to November 7) had their dates moved up by one week, and those scheduled for the second week of November (November 8 to November 14) had theirs shortened by two weeks. The Promotion Team stated that the adjusted second-dose schedule would be individually notified to recipients on the 28th.

However, many citizens still have not received messages about the schedule changes. Even a day after the Promotion Team announced individual notifications, posts appeared on online communities stating that no separate messages had been received as of today (the 29th).

As a result, criticism is emerging that the government is focusing solely on increasing vaccination rates without considering citizens’ circumstances. One netizen criticized, "Why are they inconsistently extending and shortening the vaccine schedule while only focusing on vaccination rates?" and added, "They should either let only those who want to change apply, or if they adjusted all schedules, how can they arbitrarily change them afterward?"

Regarding this, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) stated that once the list of those with changed vaccination dates is finalized, they will notify them step by step. A KDCA official told Asia Economy on the 29th, "We are in the process of verifying the vaccination medical institutions for those whose vaccination dates have been changed and extracting the recipients for notification," and added, "We are gradually notifying people through the National Secretary service yesterday and today."

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