[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The military is facing controversy for administering saline injections instead of COVID-19 vaccines to soldiers. Among the soldiers who received group vaccinations, it is impossible to distinguish those who were given saline, making re-vaccination inevitable.
On the 14th, a soldier serving in the 201 Rapid Response Brigade posted on the Facebook page "Delivering from the Army Training Center (hereafter Yookdaejeon)" that "a group vaccination was conducted at the Armed Forces Daegu Hospital on the 10th, but some personnel received injections containing only saline," and added, "Although the Armed Forces Daegu Hospital notified us of re-vaccination, it was an absurd situation where no one knew who had received only saline injections, so everyone was told to get re-vaccinated."
The soldier said, "On that day, 21 soldiers completed vaccination; 15 received the vaccine properly, and 6 received saline injections. Currently, the Armed Forces Daegu Hospital cannot distinguish between those who received the proper vaccine and those who received saline," and added, "There was no commander on site to convey the soldiers' opinions."
In response, the Armed Forces Medical Command stated, "On the 10th, during Pfizer vaccinations, a mistake occurred where 6 individuals were injected with vaccine containing only a small amount of the original vaccine solution," and explained, "Since the 6 individuals cannot be identified, all 21 soldiers vaccinated at the same time will be re-vaccinated."
Earlier, a soldier in his 20s who received the COVID-19 vaccine suddenly died, prompting investigations by the military and health authorities. According to military officials, Private A, belonging to an army unit in Seoul, was found unconscious in the barracks on the morning of the 13th and was transported to a hospital but ultimately passed away.
It is known that Private A received the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the American company Pfizer at the unit on the 7th. The military authorities have been conducting first-dose Pfizer vaccinations since the 7th for soldiers under 30 who wish to be vaccinated.
A military official said, "We are investigating the details including the cause of death of Private A," and explained that causality with the COVID-19 vaccination has not yet been confirmed. The military and health authorities are reportedly planning to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death of Private A.
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