Authorities report 40 adverse reactions on day 3 or later after vaccination, totaling 152 cases... "All confirmed mild"

151 out of 20,613 AZ vaccine recipients, 1 out of 564 Pfizer vaccine recipients
Jung Eun-kyung: "Symptoms disappeared within 3 days without special treatment due to normal immune response"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] On the third day of COVID-19 vaccination, 40 additional adverse reaction reports were received on the 28th of last month. All reported symptoms were confirmed to be mild and could occur as part of the normal immune response process.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) on the 1st, 40 people reported adverse reactions the previous day, all of whom had received the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine. Since vaccinations began on the 26th of last month, the cumulative number of adverse reactions has risen to 152, with 151 cases related to the AstraZeneca vaccine and 1 case related to the Pfizer vaccine.

The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 on the previous day was 765, bringing the total number of vaccinations over three days to 21,177. Among them, 20,613 received the AstraZeneca vaccine, and 564 received the Pfizer vaccine.

Regarding symptoms reported as suspected adverse reactions, fever above 38 degrees Celsius (76%) was the most common, followed by muscle pain (25%), headache (14%), nausea (11%), chills (10%), dizziness (9%), and hives (9%). All cases were mild, and there were no reports of anaphylaxis (severe systemic allergic reaction), which is considered the most concerning side effect of vaccination.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the CDCH (Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency), explained, "The symptoms reported as suspected adverse reactions after vaccination are all symptoms that can appear as part of the normal immune formation process and mostly disappear within three days without special treatment." However, she emphasized that as the number of vaccinations increases, rare severe allergic reactions may occur, so thorough pre-screening and prompt response will be ensured to prevent any harm.

Doctors who treat suspected adverse reactions after vaccination are required by law to report them. Only those who have consented to receive text messages are guided to report via text message or the Vaccination Assistant website. Additionally, the CDCH is actively monitoring some vaccine recipients through text messages from the day of vaccination up to six weeks (including the second dose) to identify potential safety issues related to each vaccine.

According to authorities and experts, adverse reactions such as pain, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, chills, joint pain, and redness can commonly occur after vaccination with any type of vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccines. These are phenomena that can appear during the immune formation process and mostly disappear within three days.

The most concerning side effect after vaccination is anaphylaxis, which involves shock, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, and swelling of the lips or mouth. Clinical trial results showed that anaphylaxis occurred at a rate of 11.1 per million in the Pfizer vaccine group, 2.4 per million in the Moderna vaccine group, and no cases in the AstraZeneca clinical trials.

Experts also explain that anaphylaxis can be fully recovered from if early treatment is properly administered. In fact, all vaccine recipients who experienced anaphylaxis during clinical trials recovered after appropriate treatment. Since anaphylaxis usually occurs within 30 minutes after vaccination, authorities advise recipients to remain at the vaccination site for about 30 minutes before leaving.