S.Korea finds no link between flu shot, boy's death as toll rises (updated)

Boryung

23/10/2020 01:47

* 36 people died after getting flu shots -KDCA
    * Forensic team conducted autopsy on 17-year-old boy
    * Programme aims to head off COVID-19 complications  

 (Updates with new numbers, local governments suspending
vaccination, comment from doctors' groups, Sanofi)
    By Hyonhee Shin
    SEOUL, Oct 23 (Reuters) - South Korea's forensic agency has
found no links between a teenage boy's death and a flu shot he
had taken, the Yonhap news agency reported, as 11 more people
linked to the vaccination programme died, taking the toll to 36.
    The 17-year-old was among the first reported to have died
during a government campaign to vaccinate about 30 million of a
population of 52 million to prevent coronavirus complications. 
    The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said
it would hold a meeting with vaccination experts on Friday to
review developments as the toll reached 36, up from 25 a day
before, sparking calls from doctors and politicians for a halt
to the programme. 
    Health authorities have refused to suspend the campaign
citing a lack of evidence to suggest direct links between the
deaths and the vaccines.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2HD0NK
    The National Forensic Service has conducted autopsies on
some of the deceased and determined that the vaccine did not
cause the 17-year-boy's death, Yonhap said, citing police. 
    Both the forensic agency and police were not immediately
reachable for comment. 
    Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun expressed condolences to the
families of the deceased, calling for a thorough investigation
to verify the exact cause of deaths. 
    "So far experts said there was low possibility that the
shots and deaths were related but many citizens remain anxious,"
he told a meeting.  
    At least 22 of the 25 confirmed cases, including the boy,
received a free flu shot the government has allotted for about
19 million teenagers and senior citizens, while the other three
paid for it. Seven of the nine people investigated had
underlying conditions, the KDCA said.
    The agency has not yet provided details about the 11 deaths
reported overnight.
    The rising death toll has fuelled debate about whether the
programme should be suspended. The country's largest grouping of
doctors called for a halt until the safety of the vaccines is
confirmed, while a major vaccine society said inoculation should
continue as no relation to the deaths have been found.
     
    ADVISED AGAINST SHOTS
    Some local governments and district offices around the
country have voluntarily advised residents against taking a flu
shot or are considering suspending the programme. 
    The vaccine providers include domestic firms such as GC
Pharma, SK Bioscience, Korea Vaccine and Boryung Biopharma Co
Ltd, a unit of Boryung Pharm Co Ltd  003850.KS , along with
France's Sanofi  SASY.PA . They supply both the free programme
and paid services. 
    Ten people received products from SK Bioscience, five each
from Boryung and GC Pharma, four from Sanofi and one from Korea
Vaccine. There were no details about the latest 11. 
    KDCA director Jeong Eun-kyeong said on Thursday that 
vaccines would continue to be supplied but the government might
consider suspending some products that have identification
numbers matching batches manufactured at the same plant on the
same day if more people die using them. One batch consists of
around 150,000 doses. 
    It was not immediately clear if any of the vaccines made in
South Korea were exported, or if those supplied by Sanofi were
also being used elsewhere. 
    All four domestic firms declined to comment. Sanofi referred
to the KDCA findings but said in a statement to Reuters that
scientific assessments and monitoring were under way and that it
would closely work with local health authorities. 
    South Korea ordered 20% more flu vaccines this year to ward
off what it calls a "twindemic" of concurrent major flu and
COVID-19 outbreaks in winter. 
    The KDCA reported 155 new coronavirus cases as of Thursday
midnight, for the second consecutive day the daily tally marked
a triple-digit increase after largely hovering below 100 over
the last two weeks. It brought the total infections to 25,698,
with 455 deaths. 
    So far 8.3 million people had been inoculated since the
programme began on Oct. 13, with about 350 cases of adverse
reactions reported, the KDCA said. 
            

 (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting by Matthias
Blamont in Paris; Editing by Michael Perry, Stephen Coates and
Raju Gopalakrishnan)
 ((hyonhee.shin@thomsonreuters.com; 822 6936 1474;))