"Would You Vaccinate Your 37kg Daughter with Underlying Pneumothorax?" Parent's Appeal

"Rather than saying 'I will compensate,' please say 'It's safe' and 'It's okay'"

On the 8th, a rally condemning the government, hosted by the Families' Association of COVID-19 Vaccine Victims, is being held in front of the Government Seoul Office in Gwanghwamun, Seoul.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Amid the government's announcement that it will continue to encourage COVID-19 vaccination for adolescents regardless of the court ruling that halted the application of the 'vaccine pass (proof of vaccination or negative test)' to educational facilities such as private academies and study rooms, a petition was posted on the Blue House's public petition board by a parent expressing fear of vaccinating her middle school daughter who suffers from pneumothorax.

On the 5th, a post titled "If your child is 160 cm tall, weighs 37 kg, has a very thin body type, and has an underlying condition called pneumothorax, would you still have them vaccinated?" was published on the public petition board.

The petitioner, who introduced herself as a mother of three daughters, explained, "My eldest daughter, a high school senior this year, is 160 cm tall and weighs 40 kg with a thin body type, and she has completed the third dose of the vaccine." However, she confessed, "My second daughter is in the second year of middle school, slightly over 160 cm tall, weighs 37 kg with a very thin body type, and suffers from pneumothorax (a condition where a hole in the lung causes air leakage), so I am afraid to have her vaccinated."

She continued, "My second daughter voluntarily refrains from private meetings with friends outside and strictly follows quarantine and social distancing measures. Even so, do we have to force her to get vaccinated? If it were your child, would you still have them vaccinated? I am scared," she lamented.

The petitioner asked, "(Even if vaccinated) there is no 100% guarantee; can someone confidently assure me? I want to vaccinate her too. Is there anyone who can tell me to vaccinate her safely and take responsibility?" Then she added, "How can anyone dare to take responsibility or promise compensation for a person's life and future? Rather than promising compensation, please just say 'It is safe. It is okay.'"

She also appealed, "I do not want my child to be stigmatized as unvaccinated in front of the system called the vaccine pass," and said, "I want someone to confidently say that even those with pneumothorax can get vaccinated."

An article titled "If someone with a height of 160 cm and a very thin body weight of 37 kg has an underlying condition of pneumothorax, would you still have them get vaccinated?" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board on the 5th./Photo by Blue House National Petition Board capture

On the 4th, the court halted the government's policy that included educational facilities such as private academies, study rooms, and study cafes as subjects for the vaccine pass.

According to reports, the 8th Division of the Seoul Administrative Court partially accepted a provisional injunction request from a civic group to suspend the effect of the government's administrative order that included educational facilities as mandatory vaccine pass sites. The court reasoned that even people who have completed the second dose of the vaccine can experience breakthrough infections, so it cannot be considered that unvaccinated individuals pose a significantly higher risk of spreading COVID-19, and that the freedom of education could be infringed. Accordingly, the effect of the vaccine pass on educational facilities will be temporarily suspended until the first trial ruling is made. The government has appealed the court's decision.

The government also stated that it will continue to encourage adolescent vaccination regardless of the court's decision. On the 5th, Yoo Eun-hye, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, said at the '2022 Ministry of Education Work Plan' briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong, "Regarding adolescent vaccination, regardless of the ruling, we will continue to provide sufficient information and promote the necessity and effectiveness of vaccination to students and parents, encouraging vaccination as we have been doing."

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