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People who were administered a dose of COVID-19 vaccine Thursday wait at a vaccination center in Seoul to receive a vaccine certificate and be monitored for any adverse reactions. (Yonhap News)

Administration of COVID-19 vaccines to South Korean residents in their 50s and under is poised to begin in earnest this July.

Priority inoculation is to be administered in July to those aged 50-59, students taking college entrance examinations, teachers, and those aged 60-74 who have not yet been vaccinated. In August, vaccinations are to begin for those aged 18-49 on a prior reservation basis.

Some of those who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine will be receiving the Pfizer vaccine for their second dose due to supply imbalance issues.

The COVID-19 vaccination response task force announced its plan Thursday for the administration of vaccines during the third quarter, which begins next month.

Saying that the plan was “based on consideration of the progress of vaccinations during the first half of the year and the vaccine supply plan,” the task force said it had been “decided on after a vaccination expert committee review on June 15.”

The priority vaccination recipients for July consist mainly of those who were unable to receive their scheduled vaccinations in June, students taking college entrance examinations, teachers and childcare workers, and South Korean residents aged 50-59.

Top priority will be on vaccinating those aged 60-74 who did not receive their jabs in June due to a shortage of AZ vaccine supplies. In addition, around 70,000 “socially essential workers” under the age of 30 who were unable to reserve Pfizer vaccine doses in July will be administered their shots in early July through vaccination centers.

The task force plans to administer vaccines to teachers, childcare workers, and students taking college entrance examinations in order to support a full-scale return to campuses for the second semester. Third-year high school students and high school teachers are to begin receiving the Pfizer vaccine through vaccination centers on July 19.

For those taking college entrance examinations but are not currently enrolled in their third year of high school, a list of candidates is to be acquired in July for registration to receive vaccines in August on a prior online reservation basis.

Teachers and childcare workers at daycare centers, kindergartens, and elementary and middle schools are to begin receiving Pfizer or Moderna vaccines during the week of July 19. Vaccination is also set to proceed for daycare center and kindergarten teachers and first and second-year elementary school teachers who had originally been scheduled to receive their shots in June.

Vaccination of South Korean residents in their 50s is scheduled to begin on July 26. Prior reservations are to be taken at one- to two-week intervals based on the amount of vaccine available and the schedule.

The first reservations are to be made available for those aged 55 to 59, followed by those aged 50 to 54.

Among those in their 40s and under, vaccinations are to be administered beginning in August based on prior reservation. Reservations are to be taken at one- to two-week intervals, with the recipient allowed to choose the date and location of their vaccination.

The task force further plans to develop customized measures for “aging in place” older citizens and severely disabled persons suffering from social and physical constraints, as well as developmentally disabled and homeless persons.

For those who have difficulty visiting vaccination centers due to disabilities or health issues and those with lower levels of online access, plans are to be tailored to the characteristics of the target groups, including mobility and activity support, the organization of vaccination dates for specific populations at centers, independent vaccinations by healthcare institutions, and vaccination house calls.

Independent vaccinations by local governments and businesses are also to begin in the third quarter. Local governments will be allowed to develop their own plans to select essential workers and high-risk groups for inoculation at public health or vaccination centers.

As of August, independent vaccination will be made available for workplaces that need to remain in operation around the clock, including major steel and automobile production factories.

The task force further announced that it plans to administer the Pfizer vaccine to around 760,000 people who were scheduled to receive a second AZ vaccine dose in July.

A total of 835,000 AZ vaccine doses were originally scheduled to arrive in South Korea in June through the COVAX Facility — a global vaccine joint purchasing initiative — but the arrival date was subsequently changed to July.

The vaccination expert committee said, “After consideration of overseas experiences and research and the vaccine supply situation, it was decided that vaccines could be combined when necessary to match the interval following the first vaccine dose.”

The recipients include visiting care workers, healthcare institution and pharmacy workers, and socially essential workers who received a first dose of the AZ vaccine at a designated healthcare institution in mid-April or later.

Among those eligible for the combined vaccination, those who wish to receive a second AZ dose will be able to receive it beginning on July 19.

“For our second vaccination plan for August and afterward, we plan to consider an implementation plan that reflects factors such as the vaccine supply conditions, domestic and overseas research, and overseas examples,” the task force said.

By Seo Hye-mi, staff reporter

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