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Overnight, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it was temporarily suspending free flu vaccine vaccination, saying it found a problem in the vaccine distribution process.
The disease agency explained that the vaccine that was found to be a problem is the amount for adolescents who are going to be vaccinated from today (22nd).
Reporter Jeong Gu-hee reports.
<Reporter> As the
flu pandemic approaches amid concerns about the re-proliferation of Corona 19, the government has expanded the number of free flu vaccinations from this year.
[Jung Eun-kyung/Director of Disease Control: In order to suppress the outbreak of winter influenza (flu) in the situation of Corona 19, the target of vaccination has been expanded from 13 million to 19 million, and the vaccination vaccine is also a trivalent vaccine. It was changed to a tetravalent vaccine and implemented.]
Starting today, free vaccinations were planned for children and adolescents aged 13-18, but the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has temporarily suspended this schedule.
There was a problem with temperature control during the vaccine distribution process.
In order to ensure quality verification, the Korean Disease Administration has temporarily suspended vaccinations for all subjects, including pregnant women, as well as the corresponding quantity.
In addition, we decided to immediately stop supplying influenza vaccines from related companies, and to supply vaccines that have already been supplied sequentially after quality verification.
The Agency for Disease Control and Prevention said, however, that there is no problem with the quantity supplied to children under the age of 9 from 6 months of age starting on the 8th of this month.
In addition, he explained that there have been no reports of adverse reactions yet.
The Agency for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to announce details on stopping flu vaccination at a 10 am briefing today with the Food and Drug Administration.