For the first time in South Korea, a nursing assistant who suffered paralysis after receiving a COVID 19 vaccine was recognised as a victim of an industrial accident, making her eligible for government benefits and financial compensation.
The nursing assistant, who has not been publicly named, received AstraZeneca's shot on February 12 and later suffered from double vision and paralysis and was diagnosed with acute encephalomyelitis, according to a statement by the state-run Korea Workers' Compensation Welfare Service.
The service concluded that she is eligible for government compensation and benefits under the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, because her medical situation was related to her work.
AstraZeneca and South Korean health authorities did not immediately respond to your comments.
The woman did not have causal conditions and there seemed to be a reasonable causal link between side effects and the vaccination, the service's statement said.
South Korea's government offers up to 10 million won in financial support to anyone suffering economic side effects from coronavirus vaccines, but this would be the first case where the side effects are considered an industrial accident.
Health care workers were among the first to get the vaccinations in South Korea and they were encouraged by employers to be vaccinated, but the country did not mandate that they receive the shots.