There Are Deaths After Paid Vaccine Inoculation... Adverse Reactions Are More Frequent with Paid Vaccination

12.97 Million Influenza Vaccinations Administered
431 Adverse Reactions Reported After Vaccination
"No Possibility of Death Caused by the Vaccine Itself"

On the afternoon of the 19th, when the free influenza (flu) vaccination program for seniors aged 70 and over began, a citizen visiting the Seoul Gangnam branch of the Korea Health Management Association Health Promotion Clinic in Songpa-gu, Seoul, received a flu vaccination. <이미지:연합뉴스>

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] There are no significant commonalities among the nine reported deaths following influenza (flu) vaccinations in terms of the vaccine type, the time elapsed from vaccination to death, or the presence of underlying conditions. While the exact cause of death needs to be clearly determined through autopsies and other investigations, authorities believe it is unlikely that the vaccine was the direct cause of death.

As of the 21st, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has received reports of nine deaths among adverse reactions. The first report was of a 17-year-old high school student living in Incheon who died on the 16th, followed by three deaths on the 20th and five more on the 21st. Excluding those who declined to disclose detailed information, one individual died 2 hours and 30 minutes after vaccination. Another person who died 12 hours post-vaccination is under investigation for possible acute hypersensitivity reaction (anaphylaxis). Other deaths occurred between 17 and 85 hours after vaccination.

The types of vaccines involved vary. Among domestically manufactured vaccines, deaths were reported following vaccination with vaccines from Ilyang Pharmaceutical, Boryung Pharmaceutical, and Korea Vaccine, except for one. No deaths were reported among those who received vaccines manufactured by Dong-A ST, which imports Sanofi raw materials, or finished products imported from Sanofi and GSK. An elderly man in his 80s who died had received a vaccine using raw materials from Ilyang Pharmaceutical, and another deceased individual had received a vaccine from Boryung Biopharma, which uses Sanofi raw materials.

Kim Jung-gon, head of the damage investigation team and pediatrician at Seoul Medical Center, stated, "Since many people who received the same vaccine showed no significant problems and had normal reactions, we concluded that the vaccine does not contain any toxic substances," thereby excluding the vaccine itself as the cause of death.

Most of the deceased were recipients of the National Immunization Program and received the vaccine free of charge. One woman in her 50s, who was not eligible for the support program, paid for the SK Bioscience vaccine and died 85 hours after vaccination. This year, both those vaccinated free under the National Immunization Program and those who paid received the same quadrivalent vaccine. There are 10 manufacturers and importers supplying 12 vaccine products domestically this year.

Adverse reactions to flu vaccinations typically vary individually. Among the 431 reported adverse reactions, 154 were from paid vaccinations and 277 from free vaccinations. Considering that there have been 7.75 million free vaccinations and 5.22 million paid vaccinations to date, adverse reactions appear slightly more frequent among paid vaccine recipients within similar population sizes. A more accurate tally of adverse reaction reports will be possible once the National Immunization Program concludes. For paid vaccinations, individual medical institutions input data at different times, causing discrepancies with actual vaccination numbers.