South Korea .. 17 people who received influenza vaccines died

The number of deaths in South Korea after receiving influenza vaccines has risen to 17, according to official and media reports, which increases concerns about the safety of vaccines, although the authorities ruled out a link.On Thursday, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency President Jung Eun-kyung reiterated the move forward with the influenza vaccine program, saying that there is no confirmed causal link regarding deaths that occur after receiving the flu vaccine.

On Wednesday, Jong Eun-kyung said that there is no direct link between influenza vaccines and the deaths that were recently reported, indicating that the government will go ahead with the flu vaccine program nationwide.In a media briefing, Jung Eun-kyung said that the agency is conducting thorough investigations into the recent deaths of people who received the flu vaccine.

And she added, “We did not find a direct relationship between deaths and vaccinations, or a relationship between the side effects of receiving the vaccine and deaths … Since no serious harmful effects were reported from the vaccine, we decided not to stop the program,” according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.

12.97 million people have so far received influenza vaccines, including 8.36 million people under the free, state-run program.The Ministry of Health said that it had no plans to stop the vaccination program for about 19 million people, after an initial investigation of 6 deaths had not been found directly related to the vaccine.

The officials said that it was confirmed that the vaccines did not contain any toxic substances, and that at least 5 of the six deceased persons whose deaths were investigated were suffering from chronic diseases.

Officials had announced 9 deaths after vaccination, then Yonhap News reported 4 other deaths, before the number rose today, Thursday, to 17 cases.

So far, 431 cases have been recorded of people who have shown abnormal responses after receiving the vaccine, although no causal relationship between the vaccine and the reaction has been confirmed.

Among them, 111 people developed a local reaction, 119 people developed an allergic reaction, and 93 people developed a fever.

The program was suspended for three weeks after discovering that about 5 million doses were left at room temperature while being transported to a medical facility, while they should have been placed in refrigerators.

South Korea expanded its seasonal vaccination program this year to address any possible complications of COVID-19.