A 20-Year-Old Facing Teacher Certification Exam Dies After Receiving Remaining Vaccine Dose... Father Claims "Refused Vaccine Side Effect Testing"

On the 26th of last month, when COVID-19 vaccinations began for the 18-49 age group, a citizen was receiving a vaccination at Hongik Hospital in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] A woman in her 20s preparing for the teacher certification exam died after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

According to an interview released by Yonhap News on the 3rd, Ms. A (23), who dreamed of becoming an elementary school teacher, applied for a leftover vaccine and received her first dose of the Moderna vaccine at a designated medical institution in Jeju City on July 26.

Afterward, Ms. A collapsed on July 30, just four days after the vaccination, and was taken to the hospital. She underwent brain surgery at the time but ultimately passed away on the 7th of last month.

Her father, Mr. B (51), explained in an interview with Yonhap News, "My daughter was healthy with no underlying conditions, and on that day, I picked her up after she finished studying. On the way home, she said, 'Dad, I’m short of breath and dizzy,' and then she collapsed."

However, due to visitation restrictions amid the COVID-19 situation, he was unable to hold his dying daughter's hand and had to say goodbye without seeing her one last time. The father, devastated by his daughter's sudden death, expressed his frustration with the government's attitude afterward.

Mr. B revealed, "Even though the Jeju quarantine authorities requested the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency to conduct tests related to vaccine side effects to verify my daughter's adverse reaction, the agency refused to manage the case."

He continued, "Despite this happening after following government vaccination policies, there was no post-care or support, not even an apology. We were not even informed about the administrative procedures to prove causality, which is very frustrating."

He also raised his voice, saying, "While the government consistently sends messages encouraging vaccination, there has been no call or letter of condolence to the families of those who died after vaccination. Before medically judging the correlation, the government must fulfill its moral responsibility. Flexible compensation for victims is necessary, and psychological support for the bereaved families should also be provided."

He appealed, "There are still not many cases or research results on adverse reactions to vaccines, and new cases and studies continue to emerge recently. Please do not hastily judge causality based solely on existing announcements and data. Since future possibilities are unknown, a progressive and open-minded judgment is needed."

Meanwhile, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency is reportedly conducting an investigation into whether Ms. A’s death is related to the vaccine.

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