A Woman in Her 60s Dies After Receiving AstraZeneca Vaccine in Gyeongbuk

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Ju Cheol-in] Health authorities have launched an epidemiological investigation after several people in their 50s and 60s who received the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine died consecutively.

According to Gyeongbuk Province on the 12th, around 2 p.m. on the 11th, a woman in her 60s, Ms. A, a resident of Gyeongsan City, Gyeongbuk, was found dead at her home by an acquaintance who then reported it to the police.

It is known that acquaintances visited Ms. A’s home after she did not show up at a lunch appointment that day.

Ms. A received her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on the 8th. She had been taking medication for hypertension and diabetes, and the police stated that CCTV footage showed her moving around near her home until the morning of the day she died.

On the same day around 9 p.m., Mr. B (52) in Iksan, Jeonbuk, who had received the AstraZeneca vaccine, died within a day. Mr. B was vaccinated with leftover doses at a hospital in downtown Iksan on the afternoon of the 10th.

According to his family, Mr. B showed no abnormal symptoms on the day of vaccination, and on the morning of the day he died, he only experienced slight numbness in his arm and a mild headache, symptoms that the hospital had indicated were normal, so he went to work as usual.

Later, around 2 p.m., his fever rose to 37.8 degrees Celsius, his symptoms worsened, and he left work early. After having dinner at home, he fell asleep and lost consciousness. At the time of death, Mr. B showed paralysis symptoms with his right arm extended above his head.

Mr. B, who had been taking medication for hyperlipidemia, reportedly had no underlying conditions such as hypertension or diabetes and was considered to be in good health.

In Pohang, Gyeongbuk, on the 11th, a man in his 60s, Mr. C, showed symptoms of respiratory distress at home, was transported to a hospital, and died of myocardial infarction. Mr. C had received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on the 8th.

Health authorities are investigating the possible connection between the vaccine administration and the deaths.