Among 43 New Deaths After Vaccination, Causality Recognized as Difficult for 40 Cases... 3 Cases Pending

On the 5th, as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout intensified in the second half of the year, citizens at the vaccination center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, were being monitored for adverse reactions after receiving their shots. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Among 43 new cases of death following COVID-19 vaccination, 40 were evaluated as difficult to establish causality. The remaining 3 cases will be reconsidered after confirming the final autopsy results.

The Vaccine Injury Investigation Team (led by Professor Kim Jung-gon) held the 20th investigation meeting on the 2nd and announced on the 5th that they decided this after reviewing the causality of reported cases of death, severe adverse reactions, and anaphylaxis following vaccination.

At the meeting, they reviewed 113 new cases of death and severe reactions (43 deaths, 70 severe cases), 6 reconsideration cases (4 deaths, 2 severe cases), and 50 suspected anaphylaxis cases.

Regarding the presumed causes of death, after comprehensively reviewing the influence of underlying diseases and vaccination, it was concluded that causality between vaccination and death was difficult to establish in 40 cases.

The investigation team explained that major causes such as stroke, acute myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death, which accounted for a significant portion of the presumed causes, were more likely triggered by underlying conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, angina, and old age rather than vaccination, and thus causality was not recognized.

The 3 cases on hold will be reconsidered after confirming the final autopsy results.

Regarding severe cases, 68 were evaluated as difficult to establish causality between COVID-19 vaccination and the respective diseases, and 2 cases on hold will be reconsidered after supplementing additional materials such as medical records.

Additionally, 4 death cases that were deferred in previous meetings (11th, 15th, and 16th) were re-evaluated based on final autopsy results and supplemented medical records, and causality with vaccination was assessed as difficult to establish.

For 2 severe cases that were deferred in the 18th and 19th meetings, after supplementing medical records and reviewing, causality with vaccination was also assessed as difficult to establish.

Among 50 new suspected anaphylaxis cases, causality was recognized in 16 cases.