COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Reactions Increase by 697 Cases... Death Reports Rise by 2

On the 30th, citizens are waiting to be tested at the temporary COVID-19 screening center set up at Seoul Station Plaza in Jung-gu. The government extended the current social distancing levels?Level 2 in the metropolitan area and Level 1.5 in non-metropolitan areas?for three more weeks until the 23rd of next month. Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim On-yu] The number of cases reported to health authorities in South Korea suspected of adverse reactions following COVID-19 vaccination has increased by about 700.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team (Promotion Team) announced on the 1st at midnight that there were 697 new cases reported as adverse reactions after vaccination.

Among these, reports of death increased by 2. Both deceased individuals had received the Pfizer vaccine, and causality between vaccination and death has not yet been confirmed.

Six additional suspected cases of anaphylaxis, a severe systemic allergic reaction, were reported. Four had received the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine, and two had received the Pfizer vaccine.

Three more severe suspected cases, including seizures and intensive care unit admissions, were reported. Two had received the Pfizer vaccine, and one had received the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The remaining 686 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 16,196. As of midnight on this day, this represents about 0.46% of the total 3,554,402 first and second dose recipients in South Korea.

Among all suspected adverse reaction reports, those related to the AstraZeneca vaccine accounted for 13,968 cases, making up 86.2% of total reports. Reports related to the Pfizer vaccine total 2,228 cases (13.8%) so far.

The reporting rate of adverse reactions relative to the number of vaccinated individuals is 0.79% for the AstraZeneca vaccine and 0.13% for the Pfizer vaccine.

To date, there have been a total of 75 reported deaths among domestic adverse reaction cases. These are cases reported as deaths at the time of adverse reaction reporting; cases initially reported as mild but later worsening to death are excluded.

Suspected anaphylaxis cases total 173 (139 for AstraZeneca and 34 for Pfizer), of which 150 were anaphylactoid reactions and 23 were anaphylactic shock.

Severe suspected adverse reaction cases total 59 (34 for AstraZeneca vaccine and 25 for Pfizer vaccine). Among these, 9 involved neurological reactions such as seizures, and 50 involved intensive care unit admissions.

Of all adverse reaction reports, 15,889 cases, accounting for 98.1%, were mild symptoms commonly occurring after vaccination, such as muscle pain, headache, fever, and nausea.

Health authorities hold weekly meetings to review suspected severe cases, including deaths, and assess their relation to vaccination.

The Vaccination Damage Investigation Team held a total of nine meetings through the 23rd of last month, reviewing 99 reported cases including 54 deaths and 45 severe cases.

Of the 54 death cases, causality with vaccination was not recognized in 52 cases, while the remaining 2 cases are pending judgment.

Among the 45 severe suspected cases, causality was recognized in 2 cases, 1 case is pending judgment, and the remaining 42 cases were not recognized as related.

The Vaccination Damage Compensation Expert Committee held its first meeting on the 26th of last month to review the causality and compensation eligibility between reported adverse reaction cases and vaccination. Of the 9 cases reviewed, 4 were recognized and 5 were dismissed.

Among the 4 cases recognized for causality and compensation, 3 were related to the AstraZeneca vaccine and 1 to the Pfizer vaccine. All involved mild adverse reactions such as fever, chills, muscle pain, and headache, and the patients visited the emergency room for treatment after vaccination.

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