Authorities Report 105 Cases of Vaccine Misadministration...Most Involve AZ Vaccine Given to People in Their 20s (Update)

Most errors among 90 vaccination target cases
10 cases of vaccination timing, 5 cases of vaccination dosage

[Image source=Yonhap News]

It has been revealed that there were 105 cases of incorrect vaccinations during the COVID-19 vaccination process in South Korea. Among these, 90 cases involved administering vaccines that were not appropriate for the recipients, accounting for the majority.

Jung Eun-kyung, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), stated at the COVID-19 regular briefing on the 14th, "As of the 13th, a total of 14.79 million vaccinations, including first and second doses, have been administered, and 105 cases of vaccination errors have been reported so far." She added, "Looking at the details, 90 cases were due to errors in judging the vaccination target, mostly involving administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to those under 30 years old." She further noted, "There were 10 cases of errors related to the timing of vaccination and 5 cases of dosage errors."

The authorities explained that most vaccination errors occurred due to negligence by medical institutions during the vaccination process. The government issued an urgent advisory through local governments on the 13th to prevent incorrect vaccinations.

Accordingly, vaccination institutions have strengthened measures to verify the vaccination recipient, vaccine type, and dosage step-by-step during registration, pre-screening, and vaccination. In case of incorrect vaccination, the entrusted medical institution must immediately report to the public health center, which will conduct an investigation and take appropriate action. If adverse reactions are a concern, such as overdosing or mixed vaccinations, monitoring of the vaccinated individuals will be conducted. If there is a risk of recurrence of incorrect vaccination or if it becomes difficult to continue the vaccination contract, the contract will be terminated.

Vaccinated individuals who suffer from vaccination errors can receive compensation only if adverse reactions occur, according to the adverse reaction compensation system. Commissioner Jung explained, "If adverse reactions occur due to incorrect vaccination, national compensation will proceed, and the government will thoroughly investigate and claim compensation from the medical institutions involved. However, compensation for issues other than adverse reactions is not currently provided by the government, though further review of the relationship with medical institutions may be necessary."

Commissioner Jung added, "Since more diverse vaccines will be supplied in the second half of the year, we plan to form a 'Private Sector Safety Vaccination Council (tentative name)' in consultation with the medical community to analyze types of incorrect vaccinations and establish measures to prevent recurrence." She said, "If cases occur, we will conduct joint public-private investigations and discuss measures to strengthen safe vaccination." The council plans to develop implementation plans such as attaching individual identification marks by vaccine type, separating movement paths, and strengthening refresher training to minimize incorrect vaccinations.

Meanwhile, it was previously reported that five men at a clinic in Buan, Jeonbuk, received an excessive dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Four of them are currently hospitalized in general wards receiving treatment, and one has been discharged. These cases correspond to the five dosage error cases announced today.

At a hospital in Namdong-gu, Incheon, there was also a reported case where only about half the correct dose was administered. Commissioner Jung stated, "The public health center is currently investigating the dosage for all vaccinated individuals at the hospital in Namdong-gu, Incheon," and added, "So far, about 40 people have been reported." This hospital's case was not included in the statistics announced by the authorities today.