South Korea pushes ahead with Covid-19 vaccinations amid fake news, alarm
- PM Chung Sye-kyun has called for calm amid alarm at the deaths of two men, both with pre-existing conditions, after getting the AstraZeneca shot
- A probe is under way, but medical experts warn fake news on social media is fuelling vaccine hesitancy, especially among the elderly
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said it understood public apprehension over the safety of vaccines but stressed that people should wait for the outcome of ongoing investigations. It said it was looking into whether the deaths were directly related to the vaccines or if they should be classified as among the expected negative side-effects that frail individuals with pre-existing conditions would face.
The two men who died were both nursing home residents. One was a 63-year-old with cerebrovascular disease who died after showing symptoms of blood poisoning and pneumonia, while the other was in his 50s with a cardiac disorder and diabetes. He died after suffering multiple heart attacks a day after receiving the shot.
AstraZeneca said it was aware of the KDCA investigation, and that the safety of the vaccine had been extensively studied in clinical trials with data confirming it was generally well tolerated.
Chung said the government will “thoroughly and transparently investigate the cause of the deaths” and the results will be made public.
“We ask the people to put trust in the government and actively participate in vaccinations,” he said.
South Korea is pushing ahead with its vaccination drive as it continues to report around 400 new infections daily. There have been more than 90,000 confirmed cases and 1,619 deaths.
Since inoculations began last Friday, more than 200,000 people, or 0.4 per cent of the country’s 52 million population, have received their first doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines. Recipients include medical workers and patients at nursing homes.