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Seoul: South Korean officials on Thursday (October 22) refused to suspend a vaccination effort against seasonal flu, despite growing calls for it to stop, including an appeal from a key group of doctors, after the death of at least 13 of those vaccinated.
Health authorities said they found no direct links between the deaths and the vaccines.
At least 11 of the 13 dead, including a 17-year-old boy, were part of a campaign to vaccinate 19 million teenagers and the elderly for free, the Korea Disease Prevention and Control Agency (KDCA) said.
“The death toll has risen, but our team sees little chance that the deaths are the result of the shooting,” agency director Jeong Eun-kyeong told parliament.
South Korea ordered a fifth more flu vaccine this year to prevent what it calls a “double demic,” or the possibility that people with the flu will develop complications from coronavirus and overload hospitals in winter.
“I understand and regret that people are concerned about the vaccine,” said Health Minister Park Neung-hoo, who confirmed that the free program will continue.
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“We are investigating the causes, but again we will thoroughly examine the entire process involving various government agencies, from production to distribution.”
Vaccine suppliers include national companies such as GC Pharma, SK Bioscience, Korea Vaccine and Boryung Biopharma, a unit of Boryung Pharm, along with France’s Sanofi.
They offer both the free program and the paid services that, together, aim to vaccinate about 30 million out of a population of 52 million.
Of the 13 who died, five received products from SK Bioscience, three from Boryung, two from GC Pharma and Korea Vaccine, and one from Sanofi.
The four domestic companies declined to comment, while Sanofi did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It was not immediately clear if any of the vaccines made in South Korea were being exported or if those supplied by Sanofi were also being used elsewhere.
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The Korean Medical Association, an influential group of doctors, urged the government to halt all vaccination programs for now, to allay public concerns and ensure vaccines are safe.
Kim Chong-in, leader of the main opposition party, People’s Power, wanted the program to stop until the causes of the deaths were verified.
But health officials have said a preliminary investigation into six deaths found no direct link to the vaccines, and no toxic substances were discovered.
KDCA data on Thursday showed that at least seven of the nine people it investigated had underlying conditions.
PREVIOUS SUSPENSION
The free program has been controversial since it started last month. The launch had been suspended for three weeks after the discovery that around 5 million doses were being kept at room temperature rather than refrigerated, as needed.
Authorities said 8.3 million people had been inoculated since the program resumed on Oct. 13, and about 350 cases of adverse reactions were reported.
A separate payment program allows buyers to choose from a larger group of companies that make free and other vaccines.
The majority of deaths in South Korea related to seasonal flu vaccines were six in 2005, the Yonhap news agency said. Officials have said that comparisons with previous years are difficult, as more people are taking the vaccine this year.
Kim Myung-suk, 65, is among a growing number of South Koreans who decided to pay for a vaccine of their choice, despite being eligible for a free dose.
“Although only a few people have died so far, the number is growing and that makes me uncomfortable,” she told Reuters in the capital Seoul. “So I’m going to get an injection somewhere else and pay for it.”
