South Korea denies link between deaths and free flu vaccine; drive to continue

South Korean health officials on Friday, October 23 said that they have found no evidence to link the recent deaths with the flu vaccination that people had received after the government started a vaccination programme keeping in mind the possible simultaneous spread of influenza and COVID-19. The South Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has said that no link has been found yet between the free flu shots and deaths, adding that investigation is underway to determine the cause of deaths. 

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Vaccination project will continue

According to KDCA, 48 people have died to date after getting inoculated by free flu shots, including a 17-year-old. KDCA has said that since they have found no link between the deaths and the flu shots, they will continue the national influenza vaccination project in order to prevent the possible simultaneous spread of COVID-19 and winter flu, as they are both respiratory viral infections. 

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According to CNN, the South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-Kyun called for an investigation into the matter, without calling for a halt to the vaccination programme. The Korean Medical Association, which consists of over 1,00,000 doctors, has urged the government to suspend the vaccination campaign until the cause of the deaths is determined. As per the report, children, pregnant women, and the elderly are among those who have received the free flu shots. The government aims to vaccinate 30 million people before the influenza season approaches and has already inoculated over 9 million so far. 

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(Image Credit: AP)