Woman in her 80s Dies 3 Hours After Vaccination... Causal Relationship Unconfirmed

Patients with underlying conditions... 6 new death reports included, total death reports reach 68
10 cases of anaphylaxis and 4 suspected severe cases added... cumulative total 14,567 cases

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The number of cases reported to health authorities in South Korea suspected of adverse reactions following COVID-19 vaccination has increased by about 400.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team (Promotion Team) announced on the 28th at midnight that there were 412 new cases reported as adverse reactions after vaccination.

Deaths reported increased by 6. All deceased were Pfizer vaccine recipients, including one person in their 90s and five in their 80s.

Among them, an 80-year-old woman with underlying conditions died three hours after receiving the vaccine on the 23rd.

An 80-year-old man with underlying conditions also died six hours after vaccination on the 26th, the day of inoculation.

Investigations are ongoing regarding the presence of underlying conditions for an 80-year-old woman who died on the 27th after vaccination on the 24th, and an 80-year-old man who died on the 25th after vaccination on the 16th.

The causal relationship between their deaths and vaccination has not yet been confirmed.

There were also 10 additional suspected cases of anaphylaxis, a severe systemic allergic reaction. Eight were AstraZeneca vaccine recipients and two were Pfizer vaccine recipients. Health authorities will evaluate the causal relationship with vaccination later.

Four more severe suspected cases, including convulsions and ICU admissions, were reported. All were Pfizer vaccine recipients.

The remaining 392 cases were mild symptoms commonly occurring after vaccination, such as muscle pain, headache, fever, chills, and nausea.

Since vaccinations began domestically on February 26, the cumulative number of suspected adverse reaction reports has reached 14,567. As of midnight on this day, this accounts for about 0.53% of the 2,735,051 people who have received their first or second dose in South Korea.

Among all suspected adverse reaction reports, 12,814 cases (87.9%) were related to the AstraZeneca vaccine. Reports related to the Pfizer vaccine total 1,753 cases (12.1%) so far.

The reporting rate of adverse reactions relative to the number of vaccinated individuals is 0.89% for AstraZeneca and 0.14% for Pfizer.

There have been a total of 68 reported deaths among domestic adverse reaction cases to date. However, this only includes cases reported as deaths at the time of adverse reaction reporting; cases initially reported as mild but later deteriorated and resulted in death are excluded.

Suspected anaphylaxis cases total 157 (128 AstraZeneca, 29 Pfizer), including 138 anaphylactoid reactions and 19 anaphylactic shocks.

Severe adverse reaction suspected cases total 49 (33 AstraZeneca, 16 Pfizer), including 9 neurological reactions such as convulsions and 40 ICU admissions.

Of all adverse reaction reports, 14,293 cases (98.1%) were mild symptoms commonly occurring after vaccination, such as muscle pain, headache, fever, and nausea.

Health authorities hold weekly meetings to review the relationship between severe suspected cases, including deaths, and vaccination.

The Vaccination Damage Investigation Committee has held nine meetings up to the 23rd, reviewing a total of 99 reported cases, including 54 deaths and 45 severe cases.

Among the 54 death cases, 52 were determined not to be causally related to vaccination, and the remaining 2 cases are pending judgment.

Of the 45 severe suspected cases, 2 were recognized as causally related to vaccination, 1 is pending judgment, and the remaining 42 were not recognized as causally related.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency held a Vaccination Damage Compensation Expert Committee meeting the day before to review cases submitted by the 31st of last month. This was the first meeting related to compensation for side effects since vaccinations began on February 26, and results are expected to be announced as early as today.

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