People in South Korea will be able to claim AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines made available from cancelled appointments starting later this week.
The state task force on COVID-19 vaccination said on Tuesday that a pilot program running on two major online-, app-based platforms-Naver and Kakao-will open for two weeks from 1 p.m. Thursday.
Under the service, users will be able to access real-time information on how many AstraZeneca vaccine doses are left over from “no-shows” at each medical facility from a map of available locations.
South Koreans over the age of 30 will be able to make online reservations on Naver’s web site or app as well as Kakao Talk’s messenger app through a self-verification process.
Those who have already received or made an appointment to receive a COVID-19 shot will be excluded from claiming left-over vaccines. Those under the age of 30 are not eligible for these leftover does due to a possible link between AstraZeneca and rare blood clots.
The agency will launch a formal service of the program from June 9 following a two-week test run.