Naver and Kakao start COVID-19 vaccine booking services
South Korean tech giants Naver and Kakao launched their COVID-19 vaccine booking services on Thursday in collaboration with the government.
Those eligible to be vaccinated can use apps from the pair to be notified of nearby clinics where shots will be available.
Users will be able to check the remaining stocks of vaccines in clinics and book an appointment through the Naver and KakaoTalk apps. Users can make same-day reservations and take the shot right away, the companies said.
Those who prefer to be vaccinated in specific clinics can also register to receive alerts from up to five clinics for when vaccines become available in those clinics. Only AstraZeneca vaccines will be available for monitoring on the service, for the time being.
Naver and Kakao will collect data and customer responses to the services for the next two weeks, they said, and will commence an update before fixing any shortcomings.
South Korea has started giving same-day COVID-19 vaccinations for those aged 65 or above. Those over 30 can also be vaccinated from jabs leftover from no-show appointments.
In April, local telco KT announced it was collaborating with Incheon International Airport to develop a COVID-19 vaccine passport.
Since June last year, South Korea has required citizens to register their QR codes in areas and facilities deemed to be high risk of spreading the virus.