For the first time in South Korea, a nursing assistant who was paralysed after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine was recognised as a victim of an industrial accident, making her eligible for government benefits and compensation.

The nursing assistant, who has not been identified, received AstraZeneca's shot on March 12 and later suffered from double vision and paralysis and was diagnosed with acute encephalomyelitis, the state-run Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service said.

The service said in a statement the woman did not have underlying conditions and there seemed to be a “a reasonable causal link between the side effects and the vaccination”.

AstraZeneca, asked about the case, did not refer to it directly but said patient safety was of the utmost importance for it and regulators around the world, Reuters reports.