SHOT IN THE DARK

South Korea Investigating Deaths After Flu Vaccine

Health officials say the cases of 13 people who perished after getting a flu vaccine are not necessarily related to the injection.

South Korean health officials are seeking to reassure citizens that the deaths of 13 people after being vaccinated for seasonal influenza are not necessarily related to the injection. Around 13 million people in South Korea have received the flu jab this year after the country launched a free vaccination program to avoid a mass outbreak during the coronavirus pandemic. Among the deaths are a 17-year-old boy who died two days after getting the flu shot. The other deaths were elderly people with underlying conditions. “I understand and regret that people are concerned about the vaccine,” Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said, adding that the free vaccination program would continue.