People aged 18 and over can now book to receive leftover doses of COVID-19 vaccines at the end of each day. The announcement by the Central Epidemic Command Center on Friday is aimed at preventing vaccine doses from going to waste.
COVID-19 vaccines come in vials containing at least ten doses each. Before today, whenever people missed vaccination appointments, the doses in the final vial of the day would go to waste.
But starting Friday, anyone aged 18 or over can register to join a “back-up list” of potential vaccine recipients. That means that if someone from a priority group misses their appointment, vaccination centers can contact people on the back-up list to take their place.
The Central Epidemic Command Center is stressing that the new rules only apply for the final vial of each day. It says only people in categories one to six are the country’s top priority for vaccination. These categories include medical personnel, people in high-risk professions, certain government officials, and those aged 75 and above.