PHILIPPINES SUSPENDS ASTRAZENECA JABS

Distribution may continue after two weeks, govt awaiting recommendations from WHO

THE suspension of the AstraZeneca inoculation for those below 60 is “temporary”, the Department of Health (DOH) reiterates as it staves off apprehension over the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said distribution of the vaccine might continue after two weeks, pending recommendations from the World Health Organisation and local experts, according to the Philstar.com.

“We want to clarify that this is a temporary suspension. Maybe it’s just going to last for about two weeks for us to have all these recommendations,” she said in a public briefing here over the weekend.

She said the suspension was a “precautionary measure” that was implemented because of reports received from the Global Health Referral Network related to the adverse events of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration ordered the suspension of the administration of AstraZeneca jabs on those aged 60 years and below due to reports of blood clotting incidents among vaccines in Europe last Thursday.

“If the recommendation is positive, then we will continue with our vaccination activities using AstraZeneca vaccines.”

Vergeire said the department “has not noted” any similar adverse events in the country, where it has received 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines through the Covax Facility.

She added that the shipment of the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccines from the Covax Facility was expected to arrive at the end of next month or by June.

The Philippines has received around 2.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, the majority from China’s Sinovac.

The country expects another three million AstraZeneca doses in the coming months.

According to AFP, the European Medicines Agency examined 86 blood clotting cases, 18 of which were fatal, out of around 25 million people in Europe who received the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Most of the cases were in women aged under 60.