'Death After AZ Vaccine' 50s Han Doctor, Initial Report Atherosclerosis... Authorities "Detailed Examination Needed" (Update)

Some Heart Abnormalities and Arteriosclerosis Observed Visually... Causality Assessment Scheduled for the 7th

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The quarantine authorities announced that they are conducting a thorough investigation regarding a man in his 50s, a Korean medicine doctor in Haman-gun, Gyeongnam, who was reported to have died after receiving the AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine.

On the 6th, Park Young-jun, head of the Adverse Reaction Investigation Support Team of the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Group, said at a regular briefing, "An autopsy was conducted on the 3rd, and the initial visual inspection of the autopsy suggested abnormalities in the heart, and some arteriosclerosis was confirmed. However, additional detailed examinations are needed to accurately determine the cause of death or the autopsy findings and how these affected the death."

According to the Promotion Group, the Korean medicine doctor received the AZ vaccine on the 26th of last month. Symptoms such as fever and muscle pain began on the 27th, and the individual rested at home until the 30th. On the 1st of this month, when a caregiver visited, the patient had a fever but wished to be alone and stayed alone that day. The individual was found deceased on the 2nd. The estimated time of death is the day before discovery, the 1st.

For now, the authorities plan to review the case through a causality assessment by the local government on the 7th, followed by a meeting of the damage investigation team. Park said, "Once the final autopsy report is available, it will be reflected in the causality assessment. If it is determined that the death was caused by the vaccination, compensation will be provided according to the national damage compensation system for cases where causality with the vaccine is recognized."

Meanwhile, regarding concerns that vaccine hesitancy may increase among medical staff, Jeong Eun-kyung, head of the Promotion Group, stated, "Currently, monitoring adverse reactions after vaccination shows that for the AZ vaccine, a significant number of young people experienced systemic or local reactions. We have some understanding of the types of adverse reactions and recovery processes compared to the initial phase, so appropriate adjustments can be made with hydration, anti-inflammatory analgesics, and antipyretic analgesics." She added, "We continue to provide guidance to medical institutions and vaccine recipients on suspected symptoms such as rare thrombosis and how to diagnose and treat them when suspected, operating a response system to minimize harm as much as possible."

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