[Desk Column] COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects, Will We Just Ignore Them?

"A family's happiness was shattered by the Pfizer vaccine." Last month, a story was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board by a man who introduced himself as "a typical head of household raising 8-year-old twin boys with his 38-year-old wife." He said that his wife, who received the COVID-19 vaccine, developed eye problems that made it impossible for her to carry out daily activities, lamenting that "the dream of returning to normal life after the end of COVID has become an eternal dream even after the end." He added, "It is beyond an individual's ability and overwhelming to clarify the medical causality with the vaccine," urging the government to proactively establish measures to address vaccine side effects.

On the 27th of last month, the health authorities received a report of a high school senior teenager who died 75 days after receiving the Pfizer vaccine. Since the student was known to have no underlying health conditions, the authorities are investigating the causal relationship between the vaccine and the death. Following this incident, parents with young children have expressed confusion about whether it is safe to trust and vaccinate their children. A pharmaceutical industry official with a middle school-aged child said, "If possible, I try to delay vaccinating my child as much as possible," adding, "I still don't have confidence that it's safe to get the vaccine." On the other hand, another acquaintance with a high school-aged child said they would have their child vaccinated as soon as possible. He explained, "If the vaccine is something that must be taken anyway, I thought it would be better to vaccinate before the final exams."

Vaccine side effects were not just someone else's problem. On September 9th, after receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, abnormal reactions appeared starting one week later. Side effects including headaches, toothaches, and lymph node enlargement persisted for about a month. At first, when the pain became noticeable, it was misunderstood as "probably due to recent dental treatment." After visiting various hospitals, he was diagnosed with "possible COVID-19 vaccine side effects." The doctor who treated him said, "Even if it is a vaccine side effect, it will be difficult to claim treatment costs," adding, "Symptoms did not appear immediately after vaccination, and the Disease Control Agency tends not to recognize causality well."

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has recently increased to the mid-2,000s per day. Notably, one in four cases is among those aged 19 or younger who have not yet been fully vaccinated. Experts and health authorities share the view that confirmed cases may explode due to the "gradual recovery of daily life (With COVID)" that began on the 1st of this month. Experts warn, "Next week, the number of confirmed cases could increase to between 3,000 and 5,000." Many see the increase in cases as an inevitable process toward returning to normal life.

The vaccination completion rate, a prerequisite for returning to normal life, has surpassed 70% and now stands at 76%. The first-dose vaccination rate also reaches 80%. However, many still worry about potential vaccine side effects. For this reason, the vaccination reservation rate for those aged 12 to 15 was only 28.9% as of midnight on the 4th. This is significantly lower than the adult vaccination rate and the reservation rate for those aged 16 to 17 (65.4%).

To reduce concerns about vaccine side effects, transparent information disclosure and active compensation for damages are essential. Currently, only internationally recognized adverse reactions such as anaphylaxis and thrombocytopenic thrombosis are officially considered side effects. Various side effects caused by COVID-19 vaccines, which have not undergone sufficient clinical trials, are excluded on the grounds of "lack of causality." It is time to find ways to properly compensate for both major and minor side effect damages.

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