AstraZeneca Vaccine Vaccinations Continue... Vaccination Expert Committee to Meet This Weekend (Update)

Plan to Further Review Domestic and International Cases of Blood Coagulation Disorders

The Seoul National University Hospital's in-house COVID-19 vaccination took place on the morning of the 4th at Seoul National University Hospital in Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Medical staff are receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. 2021.03.04

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team (Director Jeong Eun-kyung) announced that it will continue administering the AstraZeneca vaccine as originally planned. However, since the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has indicated that additional review is needed for certain blood clotting disorders, the team plans to hold a Vaccination Expert Committee meeting this weekend to closely examine domestic and international cases.

The Promotion Team (Director Jeong Eun-kyung) stated on the 19th, "Today, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced the evaluation results from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) that there is no causal relationship between the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and thrombotic symptoms," adding, "We will proceed with COVID-19 vaccinations as originally planned."

EMA announced that vaccination is not associated with an overall increased risk of thrombosis and that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of side effects. However, due to reports of very rare blood clotting disorders, further review is deemed necessary.

The Promotion Team said, "We will conduct a more thorough investigation of the safety of vaccinations and domestic and international cases, and hold a Vaccination Expert Committee meeting this weekend to review related information with experts, including recent evaluations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and EMA. The results will be announced on the 22nd."

According to the Promotion Team, as of midnight today, 17,501 new people received the COVID-19 vaccine, bringing the total number of first doses administered to 659,475. The vaccination rate was recorded at 82.5%.

Of these, 608,098 received the AstraZeneca vaccine, and 51,377 received the Pfizer vaccine.

By vaccination institution and target group, 177,723 people (87.6%) in nursing hospitals, 94,793 people (87.7%) in nursing facilities, 51,983 first responders (69.1%), and 283,599 people (80.4%) in hospital-level or higher medical institutions were vaccinated.

Among COVID-19 patient treatment hospitals, 51,377 people (85.1%) completed vaccination.

As of midnight today, 202 new cases suspected of adverse reactions following COVID-19 vaccination were reported, bringing the total to 9,607 cases.

Of the 202 new cases, 194 involved common post-vaccination symptoms such as muscle pain, headache, fever, chills, and nausea, while the remaining 8 were suspected cases of anaphylaxis.

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