There Is A Case Of Blood Clots, South Korean President Is Worried To Be Injected With AstraZeneca Vaccine

South korea President, Moon Jae-in. (Wikimedia Commons/Blue House, Korea)

JAKARTA - South Korean President Moon Jae-in is worried whether he will keep his promise to receive AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine next week, or not.

Because, the concerns about the safety of vaccines continue to increase, along with reports of blood clots cases after vaccination for the last two consecutive days.

South Korea's Presidential Office previously said President Moon Jae-in (68) and First Lady Kim Jung-sook (66) would receive the COVID-19 vaccine in public on March 23.

In addition to "convincing" its citizens, giving vaccines is also part of preparations ahead of participation in the G-7 Summit which will be held in England next June.

"President Moon and First Lady's inoculation against COVID-19 is in line with the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) guidelines for those who have to go abroad for important purposes," said South Korean Presidential Spokesman Kang Min-Seok, Thursday, March 18th.

Kang also said Moon was willing to set an example to allay concerns among the public over the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine, by being the first to receive the injection on the day when vaccination will start for residents aged 65 and over.

However, South Korean health authorities on Thursday recorded the second case of blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. This case was experienced by a man in his 20s.

The day before, there was a report of the death of a woman in her 60s who was a patient in a long-term care facility and died a few days after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) confirmed he had a blood clot, although authorities said his death was caused by another underlying illness. And, it may not have a causal relationship with the vaccine.

Follow-up reports of blood clots come at a time when about 20 European countries have suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, due to concerns about blood clots and other side effects.

Despite heightened concerns, South Korean authorities said AstraZeneca's launch of the COVID-19 vaccine would continue, as no evidence yet between the vaccine and a blood clot had been found.

"The decision of several European countries to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine is part of preventive measures. And, it does not mean there is a correlation between blood clots and vaccines," said KDCA Deputy Director Kwon Joon-wook.

Kwon added that a total of 9,405 cases of side effects and 16 deaths after vaccination had been reported in South Korea as of Wednesday, March 17. Of the 9,405 cases of side effects, 9,298 of them were mild symptoms such as headaches.