First Discovery of AstraZeneca Blood Clot Formation Also in South Korea

Business Vaccine Implemented Starting Today

[Asia Economy Reporters Sojeong Seo and Hyunui Cho] Starting from the 17th, the 'Business Vaccine' system, which allows priority vaccination for those who must travel abroad for essential official duties or important payment activities, will be implemented. Meanwhile, controversy is expected as cases of blood clots have been confirmed among people who died after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in South Korea.

Jung Sye-kyun, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19, said regarding the Business Vaccine on the same day, "We expect many applicants from various fields," and added, "Please ensure that the review is conducted fairly and reasonably to prevent controversies over fairness or misuse of the system."

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has once again become embroiled in controversy. Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated at the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee plenary meeting, "Currently, there have been no reported cases of adverse reactions, and among the death cases, there is one case with an autopsy report that is under review," adding, "Official autopsy results have not yet been reported." The person reported to have developed blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine is a woman in her 60s, who was a patient hospitalized in a nursing hospital.

Health authorities, while closely monitoring the European Medicines Agency (EMA) results to be announced on the 18th (local time), stated that there is no clear evidence to decide on suspending the AstraZeneca vaccine, and they plan to continue vaccinations as scheduled.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team said, "So far, about 570,000 people in South Korea have received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, but no cases have been confirmed where a causal relationship between vaccination and thrombosis has been recognized." The team added, "The AstraZeneca vaccine administered in South Korea is produced domestically, unlike in Europe and other countries," and "We plan to carefully review the EMA investigation results and cases from other countries with experts."

EMA Chief Executive Officer Emer Cook said at an online press conference on the 16th, "Thousands of people across Europe develop blood clots every year for various reasons," and explained, "There were no reports of increased blood clots in the AstraZeneca vaccine clinical trials." She also stated, "The benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the risks."

However, as controversies continue, EMA is conducting evaluations on each related case. EMA plans to review new information at the Safety Committee meeting on the same day and hold a meeting on the 18th to reach a conclusion. Sweden also announced that it will temporarily suspend the use of the vaccine as a precaution until the EMA investigation is completed. Among the 27 European Union (EU) countries, the number of countries that have suspended the use of all or part of their AstraZeneca vaccine supplies has increased to 19.

Although authorities have stated they will proceed with vaccinations as planned, the EMA results could be a variable. Vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine for elderly people aged 65 and over in nursing hospitals are scheduled to begin on the 23rd, and the target population for the second quarter (April to June) vaccination is about 7.7 million people.

Professor Jung Jae-hoon of Gachon University’s Department of Preventive Medicine expressed concern, saying, "Vaccinations were already postponed once due to controversy over effectiveness in the elderly, and if vaccinations are stopped again, trust in the vaccine will significantly decline." Professor Chun Eun-mi of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Ewha Mokdong Hospital said, "Pulmonary embolism can cause sudden death," and added, "We need to make a judgment after reviewing the EMA results."

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