SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – South Korean authorities said on Wednesday they are conducting an inquiry into the deaths of two people after a media report said the pair, who were both found with pre-existing conditions, passed away within days of getting AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.
A 63-year-old nursing home patient with cerebrovascular disease developed symptoms, which includes high fever, after being given the AstraZeneca vaccine, according to reports from Yonhap news agency. The person was shifted to a larger hospital on Tuesday, however, succumbed to death after showing symptoms of blood poisoning and pneumonia, said Yonhap.
The agency said another person in their 50s with a cardiac disorder and diabetes died on Wednesday from multiple heart attacks, after receiving the same vaccine a day earlier, said the agency.
An official with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) told it was conducting an investigation into the cause of the deaths, however, did not go into detail, with regard to Yonhap’s report.
KDCA said in a statement that South Korea started vaccinating its population last week. By Tuesday midnight, 85,904 people had been given first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and 1,524 had been given Pfizer shots.
South Korea recorded 444 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, up from 344 on Monday, taking the country’s tally to 90,816 infections, with 1,612 deaths.