2 PEOPLE DIE AFTER RECEIVING SHOTS

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For the first time since South Korea began COVID-19 vaccinations late last month, two people died on Wednesday after receiving shots. They were in their 50s and 60s and staying at long-term care hospitals for underlying diseases. Here's more.

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A nursing hospital in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do Province a man in his 60s who had a cerebrovascular disease was hospitalized here last November. He received the AstraZeneca shot around 2:30 p.m. on February 27th. Thirty-three hours later, he began showing adverse reactions like fever and muscle pain. His condition temporarily got better with the hospital's medical attention. But he again suffered from high fever and lowering blood pressure and was transported to a larger hospital on Tuesday. But the patient died at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, just a day following the transfer. The hospital treating the man believes it is highly likely he died of pneumonia and sepsis, noting that 48 hours had passed after he received the COVID-19 vaccine and that he had fever and symptoms of sepsis. Earlier in the day, another person died after receiving a COVID-19 shot. A male patient in his 50s who was also staying at a long-term care hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do Province received an AstraZeneca jab at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Eleven hours later, he began complaining of chest pain, nausea and breathing difficulty and received treatment. But he was proclaimed dead at 7:15 a.m Wednesday while receiving emergency treatment, following cardiac arrest. It's been confirmed this patient had suffered from multiple ailments, including a stroke, a heart condition, diabetes, dementia and Parkinson's disease.

[Soundbite] Moon Young-ki(Goyang city gov't) : "Epidemiological officials from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Gyeonggi-do provincial office are conducting an investigation at the site. This patient had multiple underlying diseases. The investigators will likely look into the possible connection between those ailments and the vaccine."

Health officials plan to monitor if other patients at the two nursing hospitals show adverse reactions after receiving COVID-19 shots. As of Wednesday, a total of 209 complaints about possible COVID-19 vaccine reactions have been received across the nation. This is 53 more in comparison to the previous day.