"Government Should Step Up and Take Action for Those Experiencing Vaccine Side Effects"
A citizen is receiving a vaccine at the vaccination center set up in Sadang Sports Complex, Dongjak-gu, Seoul. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Asia Economy DB.
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Amid a series of petitions complaining about side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, a new petition has been posted expressing grievance that a mother collapsed due to a cerebral hemorrhage after receiving the second dose of the Moderna vaccine.
On the 18th, a petition titled "My mother collapsed due to cerebral hemorrhage after the second dose of Moderna" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board.
The petitioner said, "My mother is 53 years old and collapsed due to a subarachnoid hemorrhage after vaccination," adding, "Before collapsing, she had no underlying diseases and was living without any problems," expressing frustration.
According to the petitioner, his mother, Ms. A, completed her second dose of the Moderna vaccine on the 30th of last month. On the day of vaccination, Ms. A experienced chest pain and mild fever symptoms, took Tylenol, and took medicine again the next day due to similar symptoms. However, in the early morning of the 2nd, the day after vaccination, around 1 a.m., she complained of chest pain and severe breathing difficulties and was transported to a nearby hospital emergency room.
The petitioner said, "At that time, my mother was having a very hard time breathing, showed severe vomiting symptoms, and even had difficulty speaking."
He continued, "After arriving at the emergency room, my mother was diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage and underwent embolization surgery around 4:30 a.m. Later, she had surgery for hydrocephalus (cerebrospinal fluid drainage). She was under general anesthesia twice in one day," he lamented.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage is bleeding that occurs under the arachnoid membrane, the outermost membrane of the brain. If rapid initial treatment is not provided, the mortality rate is very high, and severe aftereffects such as cognitive decline can remain.
The petitioner said, "Currently, all the blood vessels in my mother’s body have burst, so there is no place left to insert needles, and she is undergoing procedures using large blood vessels in her upper arm. Her immunity is weakened, and intestinal bacteria have also infected her. Additionally, fluid has accumulated in her lungs, so drainage surgery was performed by making holes on both sides of her body."
He added, "The doctor said that cerebral hemorrhage can occur at any time and is unrelated to the vaccine. However, I cannot help but reasonably doubt whether the cerebral hemorrhage that occurred just a day and a half after vaccination was purely my mother’s individual issue, and if so, why the number of people complaining of similar suffering after vaccination is increasing."
He concluded by saying, "The government, which recommends vaccination, should clearly present symptoms and countermeasures for side effects so that more people can get vaccinated with confidence. I earnestly ask that measures be taken first for those experiencing side effects after vaccination and that symptoms be actively monitored."
Meanwhile, cases complaining of vaccine side effects continue to emerge. On the same day, a story of a person in their 20s who died two days after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board, causing a stir.
The petitioner, who identified themselves as the deceased’s parent, said, "My only son, who is currently serving as a social service agent after taking a leave of absence from a prestigious university, has passed away," raising their voice, "My 23-year-old child died, so what was the cause of death?"
According to the petition, the son, Mr. B, received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on the 6th and complained of health problems around 6 p.m. the next day, after which he was transported to a university hospital. He underwent all brain-related tests including X-ray, CT, MRI, and blood tests and was waiting, but passed away around 3:40 a.m. on the 8th.
Although deaths and adverse reactions suspected to be caused by vaccine side effects continue, cases where causality with the vaccine has been officially recognized are rare.
According to the office of Kang Ki-yoon, a member of the People Power Party, as of September 16, among 215,501 suspected adverse reaction reports after vaccination, only 1,793 cases (0.66%) were approved for compensation. Among 2,440 suspected severe adverse reaction reports, 303 cases (12.4%) were recognized as having causality.
Regarding this, Jeong Eun-kyung, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said at the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee’s audit on the 6th, "We will analyze and explain in detail the concerns about adverse reactions," and "We will continue to review evidence of causality and expand it."
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