Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine [Yonhap]
Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine [Yonhap]

A Seoul court has ruled that the government must compensate the family of a teacher in her 20s who died from suspected thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS, following a COVID-19 vaccination.

The 14th Administrative Division of the Seoul Administrative Court, presided over by Judge Lee Sang-deok, ruled in favor of the bereaved family of a woman surnamed Hwang on May 14. The family had sued the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency chief, arguing the state's refusal to provide compensation was unjust.

Hwang, who was 24 at the time, received her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on July 28, 2021, and began showing abnormal symptoms nine days later, on Aug. 6, leading to a suspected diagnosis of TTS. She underwent treatment including a small intestine resection but died in September of that year from acute liver failure and septic shock.

Her family applied for compensation, but the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency rejected the claim, saying it could not recognize a causal link between the vaccine and her death. The family then filed suit seeking to overturn the refusal.

The court said a causal relationship between vaccination and illness does not need to be medically proven beyond all doubt, adding that causation can be considered if supported by indirect facts and circumstances.

The court also found a close temporal connection between the vaccination and Hwang's death, noting that her symptoms appeared just nine days after she received the shot.

The court rejected the KDCA's argument that the thrombosis stemmed from the worsening of Hwang's pre-existing condition, Kimura disease — a chronic inflammatory disorder. It said Kimura disease could not be considered the primary cause of the thrombosis that developed immediately after vaccination.

The court also said denying compensation solely on the grounds that research linking the vaccine to thrombosis was insufficient was unjustified, and noted that recent studies have suggested such a connection.

The court further cited the fact that Hwang had received the vaccine as a priority recipient in her capacity as a teacher, and ruled in favor of the family.


paq@heraldcorp.com