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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

At least 13 people dead after getting flu shots

GettyimagesbankAt least 13 South Koreans have died after receiving flu shots in recent days, according to official and local media reports, ramping up fears about vaccine safety even as authorities rule out a link. Health authorities said on Wednesday they had no plans to suspend a programme to inoculate around 19 million people for free after a preliminary investigation into six deaths found no direct connection to the vaccines. No toxic substances had been found in the vaccines, and at least five of the six people investigated had underlying conditions, officials said. Officials have reported nine deaths following flu vaccinations and the Yonhap news agency reported another four on Thursday. The deaths, which include a 17-year-old boy and a man in his 70s, come just a week after the free flu shot programme for teenagers and senior citizens was restarted. The programme was suspended for three weeks after it was discovered that some 5 million doses, which need to be refrigerated, had been exposed to room temperature while being transported to a medical facility. South Korea's vaccine

Oct 22, 2020
At least 13 people dead after getting flu shots
  • Flu shot program to continue despite rising suspected deaths: authorities

No. of new virus cases bounces back to over 100

A man wearing a face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus, walks along a wall outside the Deoksu Palace in Seoul, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. APThe number of daily local coronavirus cases in South Korea spiked again to over 100 for the first time in nearly one month Thursday, as sporadic cluster infections at senior care hospitals and other facilities continued to climb amid eased virus restrictions.The country added 121 more COVID-19 cases, including 104 domestic infections, raising the total caseload to 25,543, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The country's new COVID-19 cases bounced back to triple digits for the first time in a week due largely to an uptick in cluster infections at senior care hospitals and other risk-prone facilities, and a rise in imported cases. The tally marked a rise from 91 new cases Wednesday and 58 Tuesday.It also marked the first time that local infections surpassed the 100 mark since Sept. 24, when the number of domestic virus cases reached 109.Last week, the country relaxed its social distancing scheme to the lowes

Oct 22, 2020
No. of new virus cases bounces back to over 100

Stopping 'silent spread' key to preventing massive outbreaks

By Jun Ji-hyeKorea has not seen any explosive COVID-19 outbreaks since the government lowered its social distancing guidelines to the lowest level last week, but health officials remain vigilant against the “silent COVID-19 spread” by people who are unaware of their infected status and yet to be diagnosed. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Wednesday, the country added 91 more COVID-19 cases, including 57 domestic infections, raising the total caseload to 25,424. The country's daily new coronavirus cases have risen by double digits for the sixth straight day, but health authorities are raising concerns over virus spread by asymptomatic patients unaware of their infections, as this could lead to cluster infections at high-risk facilities such as nursing homes and hospitals. The government lowered its three-tier social distancing guidelines to Level 1 from Level 2, Oct. 12, based on the belief that the country's virus situation had been showing signs of a slowdown.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 10,541 random citizens underw

Oct 21, 2020
Stopping 'silent spread' key to preventing massive outbreaks

Fears over flu shots

The Korea Association of Health Promotion branch in western Seoul that offers free seasonal flu vaccinations is comparatively quieter than before following reports of more fatalities possibly connected to flu shots, Wednesday. Although health authorities have yet to find evidence that those deaths are linked to flu vaccinations, concerns over their safety are mounting. / Yonhap

Oct 21, 2020
Fears over flu shots

9 people have died after getting flu shots: authorities

GettyimagesbankThe head of South Korea's public health body said Wednesday there was no direct link between flu shots and recent reported deaths and the government will go ahead with the nationwide flu vaccine program. Jeong Eun-kyeong, head of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), told a media briefing that the KDCA will conduct thorough investigations into the recent deaths of nine people who got flu shots. "We have not found a direct connection between deaths and vaccines, or a relation between adverse effects of flu shots and deaths," said KDCA chief Jeong Eun-kyeong. "Considering no major severe adverse effects have been reported from one specific vaccine, we decided not to stop flu vaccinations."The KDCA said two deaths may be related with anaphylaxis shock, a serious allergic reaction after immunization.Of the nine deaths, health authorities are currently conducting epidemiological investigations, including autopsies, on eight cases. So far, 8.36 million people have received flu shots under the state-run program. Earlier, health authorities reported that a 68

Oct 21, 2020
9 people have died after getting flu shots: authorities

Korea spent W2.4 tril. on treating Chinese patients over five years

GettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea spent 2.4 trillion won ($2.12 billion) on medical treatments for Chinese nationals over the last five years, said Rep. Kang Ki-yoon of the People Power Party, citing data submitted by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS).From January 2015 to June 2020, the state-run health insurance company spent a total of 3.4 trillion won on medical services for foreign nationals, among which Chinese nationals accounted for 71 percent.They topped the list of the top 20 countries with 2.4 trillion won, followed by Vietnamese (215.3 billion won), Americans (183.2 billion won), Taiwanese (77 billion won) and Uzbekistani (71.9 billion won). The data also revealed that 31.6 billion won of health service costs was received by unqualified foreigners through borrowed or stolen medical care certificates. Of that, the government was able to recover 16.1 billion won, over half the total. Kang pointed out that the laxity of current laws is allowing foreign nationals to take advantage of the country's medical service subsidies. They enter the country as “medical

Oct 21, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea spent W2.4 tril. on treating Chinese patients over five years

Fears grow over flu vaccines after five suspected deaths

GettyimagesbankConcerns over the safety of seasonal flu shots are mounting here after more potential flu shot fatalities were reported Wednesday, putting health authorities in hot water amid its push to curb the "twindemic." So far, five people have died after receiving flu vaccines under the state-led free flu shot scheme this year, although no evidence has been found to show those deaths are linked to flu shots. As of Tuesday, 8.3 million people had received free flu shots under the state-run program. According to health authorities, a 68-year-old man on the country's southern resort island of Jeju and a 78-year-old man in Daegu have died after getting the shots, raising the number of fatalities to five.Health officials said they are investigating whether there is any causality between their deaths and flu vaccines, noting that both men had underlying diseases.Fears over flu vaccines emerged last Friday after a 17-year-old boy in the western port city of Incheon died two days after receiving a flu shot. Similar fatalities were reported from a 78-year-old man in Gochang, North Jeoll

Oct 21, 2020
Fears grow over flu vaccines after five suspected deaths

Jeju resident reports larvae in tap water

Bugs are seen in the water filter in the photo taken by a resident on Jeju, Wednesday. YonhapA resident of Jeju Island on Wednesday reported seeing larvae in tap water, the latest in a string of similar reports this week.The resident of Daepo-dong, Seogwipo, said he checked his shower filter Tuesday night after seeing the news on the previous reports.He said he then discovered what appeared to be larvae and reported the case to the local waterworks authorities Wednesday.The earlier reports came from two other neighborhoods in Seogwipo on Monday and Tuesday, prompting the waterworks authorities to carry out on-site inspections of the homes.The authorities confirmed the presence of thread-like larvae in shower filters and traced the source to a local water purification facility, which supplies water to some 31,000 residents on the east side of Seogwipo.The authorities plan to send the larvae to the National Institute of Biological Resources for analysis.As the number of reports has increased, the Ministry of Environment on Wednesday convened an emergency virtual meeting with Jeju offic

Oct 21, 2020
Jeju resident reports larvae in tap water

New virus cases under 100 for sixth day

Performers wearing traditional guard uniforms and protective face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus, stand during a re-enactment ceremony of the changing of the Royal Guards, in front of the main gate of the Deoksu Palace in Seoul, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. APSouth Korea's new coronavirus cases rose by double digits for the sixth day on Wednesday, marking nearly a week of low numbers, but untraceable and sporadic cluster infections continued to put strain on the country's virus fight. Imported cases also reached an almost three-month high.The country added 91 more COVID-19 cases, including 57 domestic infections, raising the total caseload to 25,424, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The figure marked a sharp increase from 58 cases added on Tuesday and 76 reported Monday. South Korea suffered a resurgence in the number of daily COVID-19 cases in August, mostly traced to a church in northern Seoul and an anti-government rally, reporting a whopping 441 cases on Aug. 27. Compared to mid-August and early September, when the figures rose by trip

Oct 21, 2020
New virus cases under 100 for sixth day

Concerns rise about flu shots after 3 suspected deaths

A teenager gets a flu vaccine at a hospital in Songpa-gu, Seoul, Oct. 13. Korea Times filePublic anxiety is growing over the safety of flu vaccines in South Korea as three people have died after receiving flu shots.On Tuesday, a 78-year-old woman was found dead at her home in Gochang, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, after receiving a flu shot a day earlier, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).On the same day, an 82-year-old man was found dead at his house in the central city of Daejeon after getting the shot earlier in the day. The public health agency also said a 17-year-old boy in Incheon, just west of Seoul, died on Friday after receiving the shot two days earlier.The KDCA said no connection has been established between the three people's deaths and their flu vaccinations and a related investigation is under way.The deaths have stoked public anxiety over the safety of the vaccines and made some people reluctant to get vaccinated.The public health agency said the teenage boy was administered with one of the vaccines shipped by Shinsung Pharm Co.

Oct 20, 2020
Concerns rise about flu shots after 3 suspected deaths
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