If Persistent Headache, Vomiting, or Blurred Vision Occur 4 Days to 4 Weeks After AZ·Janssen Vaccination, Seek Immediate Medical Attention
[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The government has officially recognized the causal relationship between the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and the death of a man in his 30s from 'rare thrombosis.' This is the first death case in the country where causality has been acknowledged since the start of COVID-19 vaccinations.
According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team on the 21st, the Adverse Event Investigation Committee (Chairman Professor Kim Joong-gon) held the 17th and 18th committee meetings on the 16th and 18th, reviewing 54 new cases (12 deaths, 42 severe cases) and 18 suspected anaphylaxis cases, and reached this conclusion.
The man received a leftover AstraZeneca vaccine on the 27th of last month. On the 5th of this month, he experienced severe headaches and vomiting and sought medical treatment. Later, his consciousness deteriorated, and he visited a higher-level hospital on the 8th but passed away on the 16th while receiving treatment.
Park Young-jun, head of the Adverse Reaction Investigation Team at the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, explained, "In the case of the man in his 30s who died from thrombocytopenic thrombosis, a thorough investigation was conducted again, and after the Adverse Event Investigation Committee's review last Friday, causality was finally recognized. It was regrettably mentioned that suspicion related to thrombocytopenic thrombosis might have been delayed due to nonspecific symptoms such as headache and vomiting during the process."
The Promotion Team stated that after adenovirus vector COVID-19 vaccines (AstraZeneca, Janssen), if symptoms such as persistent headache, headache unresponsive or uncontrolled by painkillers, vomiting accompanied by blurred vision, difficulty breathing, chest pain, persistent abdominal pain, swelling of arms or legs, or bruising and bleeding in areas other than the injection site appear within 4 days to 4 weeks, immediate medical consultation is necessary. Medical institutions treating such patients must promptly report adverse reactions.
Park added, "We continuously guide all vaccine recipients and medical institutions to seek early medical consultation and treatment if suspicious symptoms appear within 4 to 28 days after COVID-19 vaccination, especially after adenovirus vector vaccines like AstraZeneca and Janssen. We are also improving the system to prevent any omissions. We plan to establish a system that allows early suspicion and diagnosis as soon as possible."
Furthermore, regarding the presumed causes of death, after comprehensively reviewing the influence of underlying diseases and vaccination, 9 cases were evaluated as difficult to recognize a causal relationship between vaccination and death.
Acute cardiac death and acute myocardial infarction, which accounted for a significant portion of the presumed causes, were more likely caused by underlying risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and old age rather than vaccination, so causality was not recognized.
Two cases on hold will be re-discussed after supplementing additional data such as medical records.
The average age of the 12 new death cases was 70.5 years, with 9 (75%) having underlying diseases. The vaccines received were Pfizer for 6, AstraZeneca for 5, and Janssen for 1.
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