2290 People Vaccinated with Room Temperature Exposed Vaccine 'Snowball'... 12 Cases of Fever and Chills Side Effects

KDCA "Confirmed symptoms are mild... currently symptoms improving"

Amid the temporary suspension of the national free influenza vaccination program, a notice for free flu vaccinations is posted at a hospital in Seoul on the 22nd. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced in a press release on the 21st, "We plan to temporarily suspend the national influenza vaccination program starting today due to issues found in the distribution process of the contracted influenza supplier." Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Concerns over side effects are growing as the number of people vaccinated with influenza (flu) vaccines suspected of being exposed to room temperature has increased by 380 in one day to 2,290 across 15 cities and provinces nationwide.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on the 3rd, a total of 12 adverse reaction cases have been reported following vaccination with government-procured doses under investigation as of the 1st.

The 12 cases involved various age groups: 3 under 10 years old, 2 teenagers, 3 in their 30s, 3 in their 50s, and 1 in their 60s. Symptoms included fever (3 people), chills, headache, nausea (3 people), injection site pain (1 person), injection site bruising (1 person), hives (1 person), diarrhea (1 person), body aches (1 person), and throat discomfort (1 person).

The KDCA stated, "The symptoms identified so far have been monitored for all post-vaccination symptoms and are not confirmed to be causally related to the vaccination," adding, "Most of the confirmed symptoms are mild and have currently improved."

Earlier last month, 122 hospitalized patients at a nursing hospital in Incheon were vaccinated with government-procured vaccines, and among them, 3 died. Following an expert advisory meeting on the 3 deaths, the KDCA concluded that the deaths were due to worsening underlying conditions rather than a link to the flu vaccination.

According to the KDCA, the deceased on September 26 (87-year-old female) had underlying conditions including dementia, urinary tract infection, and pneumonia; the deceased on September 28 (90-year-old female) suffered from dementia and hypotension; and the deceased on September 29 (92-year-old female) had dementia, hypertension, and urinary tract infection as underlying conditions.

Investigations revealed that the nursing hospital did not comply with the project period and vaccinated hospitalized patients who had consented to vaccination after receiving the vaccines. Despite the government’s announcement to suspend vaccinations on the 22nd of last month, vaccinations were administered to 9 people on September 24, 84 on September 25, 18 on September 27, and 11 on September 28, totaling 122 people.

Regarding this, the KDCA stated, "Measures such as restricting participation in this season’s national influenza vaccination support project and contract termination are possible for the medical institution involved," adding, "The relevant local government will review and take appropriate actions."

Meanwhile, the number of people vaccinated with vaccines suspected of room temperature exposure during distribution is increasing daily. The KDCA initially announced on September 22, immediately after the suspension announcement, that there were no vaccinated individuals with the problematic vaccines, but since September 25, the numbers have snowballed: 105 → 224 → 324 → 407 → 873 → 1362 → 1910 → 2290.

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