Health care workers put up a sign on the door of a clinic in Seoul informing visitors about a temporary halt to South Korea's free flu vaccination program on Sept. 22, 2020.
South Korea has temporarily halted its free seasonal flu shot program over a storage issue involving inactivated bottles.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency revealed on Tuesday that around 5 million doses of flu vaccine were exposed to temperatures outside the recommended storage range.
Inactivated vaccines must be stored in refrigerators as exposure to room temperature could result in decreased potency and increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Officials explained the vaccines may have been compromised while being delivered to medical institutions.
An inspection into the affected bottles could take around two weeks to determine whether they are still usable.
The government was to provide free flu shots to around 19 million people, or 37 percent of the country's population, including children between 6 months and 18 years old, pregnant women and those aged 62 and older.
Health authorities are particularly concerned about influenza this year as symptoms of infection, such as coughing, sore throat and fever, are very similar to cases of the novel coronavirus.
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