Several South Korean Citizens Received Mishandled Influenza Vaccine - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st October, 2020) Several South Korean citizens were inoculated with doses of a seasonal influenza vaccine that were meant to be destroyed after they were mishandled in storage, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Friday, as cited by the country's Yonhap news agency.

According to the KDCA, several doses of the mishandled vaccine, produced by Shinsung Pharm Co., were distributed and used. In total, 5 million doses of Shinsung Pharm's influenza vaccine were discarded after they were exposed to room temperature during shipping, leading to concerns over their safety and efficacy, the agency said.

The KDCA is currently working to establish the exact number of people who received the doses that should have been taken out of circulation, the agency said.

The South Korean authorities have attempted to expand the country's influenza vaccine program this fall amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier in October, Yonhap reported that 59 people in South Korea died shortly after receiving a vaccine against influenza, although public health officials have said that there is no direct link between the deaths and the flu shots.