Singapore halts use of flu vaccines after 48 die in South Korea.
South Korea to carry on with vaccination programme after finding no direct link between deaths and the jabs
Singapore has temporarily halted the use of two influenza vaccines as a precaution after some people who received them in South Korea died, becoming among the first countries to publicly announce a halt of the vaccines’ usage.
South Korea reported that, as of Saturday, 48 people had died after getting flu shots, but said it would carry on with the state-run vaccination programme because it found no direct link between the deaths and the shots.
No deaths associated with influenza vaccination have been reported in Singapore to date, but the decision to halt the use of SKYCellflu Quadrivalent and VaxigripTetra was precautionary, the health ministry and the Health Sciences Authority (HAS) said in a statement on Sunday.
The HSA is in touch with the South Korean authorities for further information as it investigates to determine whether the deaths are related to flu vaccinations.
SKYCellflu Quadrivalent is manufactured by South Korea’s SK Bioscience and locally distributed by AJ Biologics, while VaxigripTetra is manufactured by Sanofi and locally distributed by Sanofi Aventis.
Two other influenza vaccines that have been brought into Singapore for the Northern Hemisphere 2020-21 influenza season may continue to be used, Singapore health authorities said.
