"Deeply Felt the Absence of a Control Tower in This Incident"
"Disease Control Agency Officials Were Not Present, First Autopsy Declared 'Cause Unknown'" Claims
The family of a person in their 20s who died just days after receiving the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine expressed anger toward the government, saying, "There is no vaccine control tower." / Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board capture
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The family of a man in his 20s who died three days after receiving his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine expressed outrage, saying "there is no vaccine control tower." The family claimed that "there is a reasonable suspicion that the vaccine was the cause" of the young man's death and urged the quarantine authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.
Recently, a petition titled "20s postal worker dies 3 days after Pfizer vaccination. We demand a clear cause of death and announcement of vaccine causality" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board.
The petitioner, who identified herself as the deceased postal worker’s older sister, said, "I am writing this to express the grievances on behalf of our parents, who are in pain just breathing after losing their beloved youngest child."
She continued, "I repeatedly advised my younger brother not to get vaccinated. I had seen media reports about side effects occurring in people in their 20s, and since Pfizer was newly introduced in Korea and he was among the first to receive it, I was very anxious."
She explained, "My brother was a young man in his 20s full of dedication and passion for serving the country, saying things like, 'Sister, I’m a public servant. Even if something happens, they wouldn’t treat me badly. In a way, my boss is our country,' and 'I trust my country.'"
On the afternoon of the 13th, citizens are waiting to monitor adverse reactions at the vaccination center set up at Bukahyeon Culture and Sports Center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News
The petitioner expressed a sense of emptiness, saying, "Because of his strong faith and sense of duty to the country, after his death, I realized how futile his dedication was."
According to the family, the deceased postal worker received his second Pfizer vaccine dose at a medical institution in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on the 7th. However, starting from the early morning of the 9th, he experienced high fever and headaches, took Tylenol, and was found dead at home on the 10th.
Regarding this, the petitioner stated, "At that time, the public health center said that due to COVID-19, the family could not attend the autopsy and that the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) would be present. However, KDCA officials did not attend, and the first autopsy result was 'cause of death unknown.' We were told that an investigation is ongoing through the National Forensic Service and that results would come out in one to two months."
She added, "My brother had a health checkup around the time of his first vaccination in July, and except for slightly elevated liver enzymes, he was very healthy. Since he died three days after the second Pfizer vaccine dose, our family cannot dismiss the reasonable suspicion that the vaccine was the cause of death."
She continued, "Even now, petitions related to vaccines keep being posted, and when we see similar cases reported in the media, they only repeat that there is no causal relationship. Our family deeply feels the absence of a control tower through this incident. If we cannot trust the government in this situation, which is like going through a war, then what or whom can we trust to endure these times?"
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