Authorities Tentatively Conclude 6 Death Reports After Vaccination "Difficult to Acknowledge Causality with Vaccine"

Following 8 cases in the first round, 6 cases in the second round also show 'No Causality'
"High possibility of death due to worsening underlying conditions"

On the morning of the 26th, medical staff at the Geumcheon-gu Public Health Center in Seoul are administering the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine for COVID-19 to a care worker. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The COVID-19 Vaccination Promotion Team announced on the 15th that, according to the results of the Vaccination Damage Investigation Team meeting held on the 12th, six reported cases of death after vaccination are highly likely due to the worsening of underlying diseases. Accordingly, among the 16 reported deaths following vaccination, a total of 14 deaths have been tentatively concluded to be unrelated to the vaccine.

The Vaccination Promotion Team stated, "The confirmed death cases were examined for adverse reactions among individuals vaccinated at the same institution on the same date, and no severe adverse reaction cases were found, so the possibility of vaccine product defects or errors during the vaccination process is considered low." They added, "Among the six death cases under investigation, four were judged based on the data collected so far, and two will be re-evaluated after autopsy results are confirmed."

According to the team, based on the collected and analyzed data, ▲there is a high possibility that death was caused by the worsening of underlying diseases, and ▲other presumed causes of death that could lead to death (such as heart failure, pneumonia) were identified. Therefore, the team tentatively judged that it is difficult to recognize a causal relationship between adverse reactions after vaccination and death. However, for cases currently undergoing autopsy at the National Forensic Service, the final autopsy results will be reviewed, and additional evaluation will be conducted by the Vaccination Damage Investigation Team. Among the 14 death cases under investigation, seven are currently undergoing autopsy.

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, a total of 8,347 cases suspected of adverse reactions after COVID-19 vaccination have been reported. Among these, 8,248 cases involved symptoms such as muscle pain, headache, fever, chills, and nausea; 76 cases were suspected anaphylaxis; and seven cases were suspected severe reactions such as seizures. Sixteen death reports have been submitted and are under investigation.

Since the start of COVID-19 vaccination on the 26th of last month until the 13th, weekly analysis of reported suspected adverse reactions showed that 1.8% (4,757 cases) of weekly vaccine recipients reported suspected adverse reactions. The cumulative reporting rate for the entire vaccination period was 1.4% (8,347 cases out of 588,958 vaccinations).

By gender, the adverse reaction reporting rate was higher in females at 2.1% compared to 1.0% in males. By age group, the rates were 3.6% in their 20s, 1.7% in their 30s, 1.2% in their 40s, 0.8% in their 50s, and 0.5% in their 60s, indicating higher reporting rates among younger age groups.

By vaccination institution, the reporting rates were 5.3% in nursing hospitals, 2.2% in hospital-level or higher medical institutions, 0.9% in nursing facilities, 0.4% among first responders, and 0.4% in COVID-19 treatment hospitals. By vaccine manufacturer, AstraZeneca accounted for 1.9% and Pfizer 0.4%. Clinically, muscle pain and fever accounted for high proportions at 63.5% and 60.7%, respectively, followed by headache at 40.6% and chills at 36.7%.

The team said, "We are monitoring adverse reactions related to the COVID-19 vaccine through various surveillance systems, and for some vaccine recipients, we are conducting a six-week survey on adverse reaction occurrences via text messages."

Meanwhile, among approximately 18,000 vaccine recipients who agreed to adverse reaction monitoring via text message, 32.8% of respondents reported discomfort after vaccination. By age group, the rates of reported discomfort were 9.8% in their 20s, 8.3% in their 30s, 7.2% in their 40s, 6.3% in their 50s, and 1.1% in their 60s, showing a higher rate of discomfort among younger age groups. The main symptoms reported were injection site pain (28.3%), muscle pain (25.4%), fatigue (23.8%), headache (21.3%), and fever (18.1%).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.