Controversy Over 'Room Temperature Exposed Influenza Vaccine'... 2,000 Adverse Reactions and 110 Deaths After Vaccination

110 Death Reports in 4 Months... "Vaccine Anxiety Seems to Have Influenced"
KCDC, 'Analysis Report on Adverse Reaction Reports After Influenza Vaccination'

A citizen is receiving a vaccination at the Seoul Western Branch of the Korea Health Management Association Health Promotion Clinic in Gangseo-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Last year, amid controversy over the 'room temperature exposure' issue during the distribution process of influenza (flu) vaccines, it was reported that there were as many as 2,000 cases of adverse reactions following flu vaccinations. The number of reported death cases also reached 110.

According to the '2020?2021 Influenza Vaccination Adverse Reaction Report Analysis' published by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on the 29th, as of the end of last year, the number of reported adverse reactions after vaccination was 2,059.

Reports of adverse reactions in the 2017?2018 season were 92 cases, not even reaching 100. Subsequently, there were 130 and 170 cases in the 2018?2019 and 2019?2020 seasons respectively, but from the second half of last year, the number surged to around 2,000. The number of reports per 100,000 vaccinations reached 9.8 cases.

The types of reported adverse reactions included fever with 345 cases (16.8%), allergic reactions with 401 cases (19.5%), and local adverse reactions such as pain at the injection site with 242 cases (11.8%), among others.

Among severe side effects caused by vaccination, 72 cases (3.5%) reported neurological adverse reactions such as Guillain-Barr? syndrome and seizures.

By age group, seniors accounted for the largest number with 995 cases (48.3%), followed by children with 560 cases (27.2%).

During the approximately four months of this season, there were also 110 reported cases of death following flu vaccination. Compared to the 2019?2020 season (2 cases), this is an increase of 55 times.

Health authorities diagnosed that "the anxiety about vaccines was likely influenced by issues such as the 'room temperature exposure' problem that occurred early in the vaccination program."

In fact, the 110 reported deaths were concentrated between mid-October and early November last year, when the room temperature exposure issue surfaced.

From September to October 18 last year, there was only one reported death case, but during the week of October 19?25, there were as many as 60 cases. Afterwards, the numbers gradually decreased to 24, 13, and 7 cases, but continued steadily.

Among the reported deaths, those aged 70 and older accounted for 89 cases, representing 80.9% of all death cases.

The KDCA stated, "After holding 20 rapid response meetings of the damage investigation team and reviewing related matters, it was concluded that none of the 110 death cases were causally related to vaccination."

The KDCA also analyzed that there were no significant anomalies even when considering the mortality rate of the elderly aged 65 and over.

From the 2015?2016 to 2019?2020 seasons, the mortality rate of the 65 and older age group was examined, revealing that during the national influenza vaccination program period, an average of 594 people (ranging from 530 to 650) died daily.

In particular, the mortality rate of the unvaccinated group was 6.2 to 8.5 times higher than that of the vaccinated group.

The KDCA explained, "Due to controversies over maintaining the cold chain for flu vaccines and excessive anxiety and distrust about vaccine safety, vaccination avoidance occurred, and the number of reported adverse reactions increased significantly compared to previous years."

Based on this experience, the KDCA emphasized the need to enhance trust in vaccine safety above all in vaccination efforts.

Finally, the KDCA stressed, "With free nationwide COVID-19 vaccinations upcoming, thorough preparations must be made to achieve 'herd immunity' with a high vaccination rate of over 70% of the population."

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