PM vows full probe into deaths following vaccine shots

All News 14:48 March 04, 2021

SEOUL, March 4 (Yonhap) -- The government will thoroughly investigate the deaths of five people who died after receiving COVID-19 vaccines and disclose its findings transparently, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Thursday.

He requested that the public have trust in the vaccination campaign led by the government. South Korea began offering vaccine shots in late February.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun speaks during a daily interagency meeting on the coronavirus response held at the government complex in Seoul on March 4, 2021. (Yonhap)

Two patients at long-term care hospitals in Gyeonggi Province, surrounding Seoul, died within days after being administered the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Another death was reported in Daejeon and two in North Jeolla Province. They reportedly had underlying illnesses.

Health officials said they are currently investigating the cause of the patients' deaths but have yet to determine whether they suffered side effects from the vaccines.