Reservation for 2nd Dose Vaccination Starts from the 7th... KDCA Urges "Urgent Participation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] Starting from the 7th, vaccinations with the Omicron variant-adapted bivalent vaccines for those aged 18 and over will begin.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team on the 3rd, Moderna's BA.1-based bivalent vaccine and Pfizer's BA.1-based bivalent vaccine will be available for reservation from the 7th, while Pfizer's BA.4/5-based bivalent vaccine will be available for reservation starting from the 14th. Pfizer's BA.4/5-based bivalent vaccine was granted emergency use authorization by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 17th of last month, and the initial supply (approximately 1.18 million doses) was introduced through Incheon International Airport on this day, which is why its reservation schedule is later than that of other bivalent vaccines.

For same-day vaccinations, Moderna's BA.1-based vaccine has been available since the 27th of last month. Pfizer's BA.1-based vaccine will be available for same-day vaccination simultaneously with reservations starting on the 7th.

Additionally, for those who cannot or do not wish to receive the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from Moderna or Pfizer, recombinant protein vaccines such as Novavax and Skycovione will also be used for winter vaccinations. Recombinant protein vaccines have been available for same-day vaccination since the 27th of last month, and reservations will be possible from the 7th.

As of the previous day, the additional winter vaccination rate is 2.5% of the population and 2.7% of the target group. The number of reservations by vaccine type shows Moderna's BA.1-based vaccine leading with a cumulative 1,367,089 reservations, followed by Pfizer's BA.4/5-based vaccine with 78,024 reservations, and Pfizer's BA.1-based vaccine with 58,263 reservations. Novavax and Skycovione vaccines have 19,902 and 1,713 reservations respectively.

Baek Kyung-ran, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated, “Recently, various Omicron subvariants have newly emerged and are spreading worldwide, and the number of cases is also increasing domestically. To maintain daily life while having a healthy and safe winter, participation in vaccination is urgently needed.”

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