Indications for AstraZeneca vaccine use reviewed – DOH

THE Department of Health (DoH) is now evaluating the specific indications on the use of the AstraZeneca AZD1222 Covid-19 vaccine after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended its approval for use again in adults below 60 years old.

This comes amid cases of a possible link of blood clots first reported by the European Medicines Agency, which was the basis for the temporary suspension on the use of the vaccine.

FDA Director-General Rolando Enrique Domingo said the World Health Organization (WHO) and the country’s Vaccine Expert Panel and National Adverse Events Following Immunization Committee have concluded that the benefit of the vaccine will outweigh the risks as the blood clotting events were only seen in 1 out of 1.1 million people who were inoculated.

“So sumulat ako kay [Health] Secretary [Francisco] Duque para sabihin sa kanya na reiterate the benefit outweighs risks and that we should continue ‘no using the vaccine para po sa ating vaccination program (I wrote to Secretary Duque to tell him that the benefit outweighs the risk and that we should continue using the vaccine for our vaccination program),” Domingo said during a Malacañang briefing on Thursday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they will resume the vaccination of the AZD1222 vaccine with additional guidelines for its use based on the recommendations of the WHO.

Meanwhile, Dr. Butch Ong of the OCTA Research group said the public should not be complacent despite the marked slowdown in new cases in the NCR Plus bubble area, which consists of the National Capital Region, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal and Laguna.

Ong said that the people should continue to follow their “ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) mindset,” especially in going out as there is a risk of a continued spike in the number of cases now that NCR Plus is under modified enhanced community quarantine or MECQ.