Stocks behind Korean flu vaccine makers bounced back after the government announced it will proceed with state-sponsored flu vaccination program despite calls for suspension, with death tolls after getting the jab reached 32 by midnight Friday.

Shares of Boryung Pharm, SK Chemicals and Green Cross returned to the positive territory with some climbing more than 10 percent in the Friday morning session.

The Korean Medical Association, the largest body of medical practitioners, urged the government to temporarily halt the vaccination program for a week, at least under investigation results on the correlation come out.

But health authorities maintain there are no direct links between the deaths and the vaccines.

Death after receiving the shots however jumped to 32 by midnight Friday from 20 on the previous day.

Many medical experts urge vaccination program should be stopped temporarily, or the vaccination method should be changed at least until the cause of death is clarified through autopsy are available.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said it still sees low possibility that the deaths resulted from the vaccines.

By Kang Bong-jin and Minu Kim

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]