"Fever and Muscle Pain Disappear Within 2-3 Days After Vaccination... Mild Symptoms Advise Avoiding Emergency Room"

Breathing Difficulty, Loss of Consciousness, Facial Swelling, and More Require Immediate Hospital Visit

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The government has advised refraining from visiting the emergency room if mild symptoms such as fever and muscle pain occur after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. However, in cases of severe adverse reactions such as difficulty breathing or facial swelling, immediate emergency room visits are necessary.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' quarantine team, stated at a regular briefing on the 19th, "Approximately 660,000 people have received the COVID-19 vaccine so far," adding, "During the immune formation process after vaccination, symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, headache, and chills may appear, but most symptoms naturally disappear or are alleviated with antipyretics and analgesics."

However, he explained that if fever or muscle pain persists for more than two days despite using antipyretics and analgesics, or if the condition suddenly worsens, one should visit a nearby medical institution for treatment.

Yoon said, "In cases of severe allergic reactions (such as anaphylaxis) accompanied by difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, or facial swelling, immediate reporting to 119 or visiting the emergency room is required."

Emergency medical institutions nationwide are taking measures such as securing related medicines to prepare for emergency patients related to vaccination. The Fire Agency plans to deploy two nurses and one ambulance (with one emergency medical technician) at each regional vaccination center and maintain a rapid response system by regional fire stations for health centers, self-vaccination institutions, and entrusted medical institutions.

Additionally, to enable prompt and appropriate treatment for severe emergency patients, isolation beds in emergency medical institutions are being expanded to strengthen the capacity to accommodate emergency patients with fever.

For emergency preparedness, 152 mobile isolation beds (60 at emergency medical institutions) and 105 isolation beds within emergency rooms are currently being installed, and additional isolation beds will be supported within the first half of the year based on demand surveys.

Yoon urged, "Even if symptoms are mild after vaccination, visiting the emergency room may prevent severe patients from receiving timely treatment. If you experience symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, or headache, take antipyretics and analgesics and rest at home. However, if you have difficulty breathing, become disoriented, or show signs of severe allergic reactions, please immediately report to 119 or visit the emergency room."

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