Prime Minister Jeong: "Apologies for Flu Vaccination Disruptions... Prompt Verification of Vaccine Safety"

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun expressed regret on the 23rd over the government's temporary suspension of the free influenza vaccination program due to distribution issues with the flu vaccine.

At the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on COVID-19 held at the Government Seoul Office on the same day, Prime Minister Chung stated, "Although this is an unavoidable measure to protect public health, I feel sorry that the vaccination, which has become more important than ever in the COVID-19 situation, has been disrupted."

The government confirmed that the refrigerated temperature was not properly maintained during the vaccine delivery process, leading to the temporary suspension of the national influenza vaccination program, which was scheduled to start the day before, while verifying the quality of the vaccines.

Prime Minister Chung urged, "The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency should work closely with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to promptly determine and transparently disclose the safety of the distributed vaccines, and also preemptively review vaccine supply measures to prepare for emergency situations."

He mentioned, "The government will finalize special quarantine measures so that the public can spend this Chuseok holiday with peace of mind and will announce them soon."

He added, "How we spend this Chuseok holiday, which will be the biggest turning point in this year's quarantine efforts, will determine whether we face another difficult period or regain our precious daily lives. I once again urge all citizens to maintain a truly special vigilance during this special quarantine period."

Prime Minister Chung emphasized, "The fourth supplementary budget bill passed the National Assembly late last night. I thank all members of the National Assembly for swiftly reviewing and processing the budget submitted by the government. The government will accelerate budget execution to ensure that warm support reaches the field as much as possible before the start of Chuseok."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.