From Thursday, people listed low among vaccination targets can check whether there are leftover AstraZeneca vaccines through applications run by Naver and Kakao, make a reservation, and receive the jab within the same day.
According to the Corona 19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, the system allows citizens to search and reserve the remaining vaccines at the consigned medical institution for two weeks, during which the government plans to inoculate older adults aged 65 to 74.
Would-be vaccine recipients can access the system from 1 p.m., which will be in full service from June 9 after supplementing functions.
To make a reservation on the same day, people have to select the consigned medical institutions with the leftover vaccines, regardless of the address in their resident registration. However, the application requires citizens to confirm their personal information through an authentication process, officials said.
Same-day reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis, and the apps will allow reservations any time no-shows occur. Those who make one reservation for the leftover vaccine cannot make additional reservations.
"The government has decided to introduce the reservation system for the would-be recipients of leftover AstraZeneca vaccines instead of leaving it to individuals," said Kim Ki-nam, a member of the Corona 19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team. "If the government introduces a reservation method at the vaccination center that inoculates Pfizer's vaccine in the future, we will also expand the remaining vaccine reservation function."
The new measure comes after the government promised to offer a set of benefits to those who have been inoculated.
Among others, those who have received their first jabs will be allowed to take their masks off outdoors starting in July. Those who are fully vaccinated will not be subject to the restrictions on their use of gyms, other facilities, and religious gatherings.
The country's vaccination rollout has been sluggish compared to global peers.
Korea has vaccinated 4,030,744 people – 2,073,793 with the AstraZeneca vaccine and 1,956,951 with Pfizer's vaccine –up 153,101 from the previous day. The figure accounts for 7.8 percent of the country's population.
On Thursday, the nation confirmed 629 new cases, including 620 infections, raising the cumulative caseload to 138,311.
Three more people died of the Covid-19, raising the death toll to 1,943 with a fatality rate of 1.4 percent, and a total of 128,180 people have returned to their daily life after full recovery, up 606 from the previous day. The country has carried out 9,665,693 tests since Jan. 3 last year.
The number of confirmed patients a day has fluctuated in the 400-700 range, depending on the number of tests.
Quarantine authorities expressed concerns about small cluster infections that link everyday spaces, such as family, acquaintances, co-workers, karaoke rooms, and entertainment facilities nationwide, are continuing and the area where variant cases, which have stronger spreading power, are gradually expanding.