Cause presumed to be subarachnoid hemorrhage... Vaccine administration causal relationship to be reviewed
A pedestrian is passing by an electronic billboard in downtown Tokyo, Japan, on the 23rd of last month, announcing that the Summer Olympics are 150 days away. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] A woman in her 60s who received the COVID-19 vaccine from the American company Pfizer in Japan has died. It has not yet been confirmed whether the death was due to side effects.
According to Kyodo News, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced on the 2nd that such a death case had occurred. The woman was vaccinated on the 26th of last month. It was reported that she had no underlying diseases or allergic conditions.
The Ministry of Health stated that the cause of death appears to be a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a condition where bleeding occurs in the space beneath the arachnoid membrane of the brain. At this point, it is not possible to evaluate whether this is a side effect of the vaccine, and the causal relationship will be reviewed. So far, mild hives and chills have been reported as side effects of vaccination in Japan.
Tomohiro Morio, Vice Chairman of the Ministry of Health's Vaccine Subcommittee Side Effect Review Subcommittee, explained, "Even in overseas vaccination cases, there does not seem to be a connection between subarachnoid hemorrhage and the COVID-19 vaccine," adding, "We plan to collect more related information."
In Japan, about 40,000 healthcare workers applied and have been receiving the Pfizer vaccine as a priority vaccination since the 17th of last month. As of the 1st, a total of 31,785 people have received the first dose.
The Japanese government will pay 44.2 million yen (approximately 465 million KRW) to the bereaved families if death occurs due to the COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of medical institution negligence. Those who suffer first-degree disabilities as a result of COVID-19 vaccine aftereffects will receive an annual disability pension of 5,056,800 yen (approximately 53 million KRW).
Meanwhile, according to NHK, the number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases across Japan on this day was 888 (as of 6:40 PM), including 232 in Tokyo. This marks the third consecutive day with fewer than 1,000 cases. The cumulative number of confirmed cases reached 435,016, and deaths totaled 8,026 as of this day.
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