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Is the number of flu vaccine deaths in South Korea being muted by Reuters?

#1

South Korea sticks to flu vaccine plan despite safety fears after 25 die

I’ve seen this headline change from 5 deaths up to 25 deaths as numbers rose.

The deaths now have risen to 36. Oddly, the number of deaths has now been taken off the Reuters headline, I wonder why. 36 is more newsworthy than 5:

In order to see that 36 people have died, you now need to read down past this:

“SEOUL (Reuters) - The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Friday it would not halt a wide flu vaccination programme aimed at heading off complications from the coronavirus, after reviewing more than two dozen cases of deaths that have raised public concern.”

and this:

“A review had shown no direct link between the vaccination and 26 deaths that were investigated, the KDCA said in a statement, adding it planned to meet on Saturday to review additional analysis.”

A small point maybe, or maybe not. Reuters mini-reports are shared widely round the world, and as K234 might say, it’s vaccine drumbeat a gogo at present.
Considering that there was widespread concern at 5 deaths, it seems odd to reduce the significance of the number of deaths as it rises.

Indeed at 12 deaths, the South Korea medical association called for a suspension of the flu vaccine programme:

22/10/20 South Korea medical association says flu vaccine programme should be suspended

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea’s medical association said on Thursday the government should suspend a flu vaccine programme following the deaths of at least 13 people who received a shot in recent days.

#2

Perhaps someone knows exactly which type of vaccine is being used by the South Koreans?

This is a long conversation between Dr Tenpenny (including her sales pitch at the end) and Carrie Madej which includes explanation of all the different types never before used vaccines being planned. Worth a listen if you’ve got a spare hour.

#3

PatB: “Perhaps someone knows exactly which type of vaccine is being used by the South Koreans?”

Some info here:
"The country’s free vaccine programme uses doses manufactured by local drug makers GC Pharma, SK Bioscience and Ilyang Pharmaceutical Company, along with France ’s Sanofi and Britain ’s GlaxoSmithKline. The vaccines are distributed by local companies LG Chem and Boryung Biopharma, a unit of Boryung Pharm Company.

GC Pharma, LG Chem, SK Bioscience and Boryung declined to comment. Ilyang Pharmaceutical, Sanofi and GSK did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

It was not immediately clear if any of the South Korean-manufactured vaccines were exported, or whether those supplied by Sanofi and GSK were also being used in other countries."

Thanks for the discussion between the two Drs. I listened a few mins, looks interesting - on my watch list for later.
Looks like another case of flak - that you only hear about when someone in the profession breaks rank.

#4

Okay - to answer my own question on whether Reuters are downplaying the issue:

South Korean authorities stick to flu vaccine plan after deaths rise to 48
Link: https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2790G8

That would be a “No”, then…

Though 48 an alarming number in deaths for the authorities to carry on blindly - there were concerns at 5 deaths, and as noted, the medical association called for a suspension at 13.

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#5

I wonder if they are vaccinating substantially more people this year as they keep a wary eye on covid?

Or I wonder if the vaccine has changed somehow… Do you have ideas?

#6

Pontious: “I wonder if they are vaccinating substantially more people this year as they keep a wary eye on covid?”

“South Korea ordered a fifth more flu vaccines this year to ward off what it calls a “twindemic”, or the prospect that people with flu develop coronavirus complications and overburden hospitals in winter.”
(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-southkorea-flushot/south-korea-sticks-to-flu-vaccine-plan-despite-safety-fears-after-25-die-idUSKBN277058)

So yeah, though apparently the increase is not that much more this year, it is Covid-related:

“The government has provided free flu shots, mostly for young children and elderly people, to prevent a potential “twidemic” during winter, as respiratory viruses, including influenza and COVID-19, have nearly identical symptoms, including fever and sore throat. (Yonhap)”

[Interesting comment - SK is one of the few countries able to say “Hey, the flu is no worse than ordinary Covid-19!” :grinning:]

They already halted the programme for a month due to some vaccines being exposed to room temperatures. It had only just resumed:

“The program was halted on Sept. 22, after some of the inactivated vaccines were exposed to room temperatures during shipping. But subsequent quality tests and inspections found no safety problems, according to the agency”

Edit-the link continues: “Despite the test results, the agency decided to collect 480,000 doses that could have low potency as part of precautionary measures.”

Edit2-found this confirming nearly 2300 people were injected with the compromised vaccine:
" Thousands in South Korea were injected with compromised flu vaccines in recent weeks, Korea’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) admitted on Sunday.

Some doses of the vaccine, which requires refrigeration, were reportedly exposed to room temperature while being transported to a medical facility, rendering them compromised.

KDCA said, “2,295 people have been injected with flu vaccines which may have been exposed to room temperature under a free annual vaccination drive.”

According to the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo on Monday, the agency had earlier stated that “2,303 people had been mistakenly injected but corrected the number downwards as eight cases in Busan had been misidentified.”

Busan is a port city located in the country’s south, located just 31 miles from the Japanese island of Tsushima. It is also South Korea’s second-most populous city.

“Criticism of health authorities for poor management of the glitch is growing since they initially said nobody had been exposed to the compromised vaccines, but the numbers are snowballing to thousands,” according to the report.

The compromised injections have caused side effects in roughly a dozen people, who reported symptoms including “fatigue, fever, and diarrhea” to South Korean health authorities."

There’s been little mention of this earlier mishap (Oct 6) alongside the recent reports of the deaths so it’s not possible to say if the mishap may have been connected to any of the deaths. Presumably the time elapsed suggests otherwise though.

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