Following the series of bad news that people died due to influenza vaccination in South Korea, Taiwan’s “disease control department” also released news that four people died of influenza vaccination on the island. After the news was reported, it immediately caused panic among the people on the island.
According to the Global Network on October 28, statistics from the "Disease Control Department" show that on October 5, the island began to receive influenza vaccines until October 26, a total of 76 adverse reactions caused by influenza vaccine were reported, 25 were serious adverse reactions, of which 13 were cases of prolonged hospitalization, life-threatening or death, and 4 deaths have been caused. On October 27, the Taiwan authorities' health and welfare affairs department responded to the four reported deaths of influenza vaccine. Taiwan authorities said the four cases were the first batch of dead after vaccination in Taiwan this year. After preliminary analysis by the Taiwan authorities, the four deaths were preliminary understood. The causes of death were mostly cardiovascular diseases, cerebral hemorrhage or myocardial infarction, and the age was concentrated between the ages of 60 and 70. Therefore, the official believes that it has no direct relationship with the vaccine and the vaccination plan will continue to be promoted. Chen Shizhong, head of the Taiwan health and welfare department, had similar views with the official, and responded that the number of adverse reactions reported by Taiwan's influenza vaccine was smaller than that of South Korea during the same period. In addition, according to statistics, Taiwan’s publicly paid influenza vaccine purchases in 2020 were 6.0357 million, and the number of vaccinations has exceeded 4 million.
On the other hand, the number of deaths caused by influenza vaccination in South Korea continues to increase. From the first death toll on October 16 to October 26, the number of deaths has risen to 59. The South Korean Department of Disease Management said that 46 people have completed the investigation and analysis, and the cause of death of the remaining 13 dead are continuing to be investigated. This incident also caused panic among the Korean people. On the 26th local time, South Korean President Moon Jae-in stated on Blue House that after relevant agencies confirmed that there is no direct connection between influenza vaccination and deaths, and citizens should not "overly worry" about the safety of the vaccine, so as not to miss the best vaccination period. This is also Moon Jae-in's first public statement on the deaths caused by influenza vaccination.
Korean and Taiwanese people have experienced deaths after receiving the flu vaccine. After the death in South Korea, on October 25, Singapore also announced the suspension of the use of two influenza vaccines adopted by South Korea for safety reasons. Therefore, relevant institutions should pay special attention to vaccine supervision.
