AstraZeneca jab gets nod for all age groups

The AstraZeneca vaccine can again be used for those below 60 years old, the Department of Health (DOH) announced yesterday.

On April 8, the DOH and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suspended the use of AstraZeneca on the 18 to 59 age group amid reports of “very rare cases” of VaccineInduced Thrombosis and Thrombocytopenia (VITT) or blood clots among vaccine recipients in other countries.

The resumption of AstraZeneca vaccination for all age groups came following recommendations from the FDA and the DOH All Experts Group on

Vaccines and consultation with the Philippine College of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine (PCHTM).

“After discussions with the DOH All Experts Group and the PCHTM it was concluded that there are currently no known risk factors for VITT,” it added.

To date, there is no reported case of vaccinerelated blood clot confirmed by the National Adverse Events Following Immunization Committee (NAEFIC) and the FDA.

To mitigate the risks, the DOH issued guidelines that will strengthen postvaccination surveillance at all vaccination sites. Health care workers will be trained to detect and manage possible symptoms and refer vaccinees to the appropriate health facility.

Big boost

Presidential adviser for entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion called the decision “a big boost” toward efforts to vaccinate economic frontliners.

“It’s certainly a huge step forward, especially when it comes to combating vaccine hesitancy. This is a big boost, especially following the endorsement of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) promoting the vaccination of private sector employees,” he said.

“Economic frontliners come in all age groups, and we need everyone safe and vaccinated for us to return back to normal,” Concepcion said.

Go Negosyo’s Let’s Go Bakuna information and education campaign is already in full swing to combat vaccine hesitancy among Filipinos.

1.5 M Sinovac jabs arrive

National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF) chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. yesterday announced the arrival of 1.5 million doses of Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine purchased by the government. It is the single biggest delivery from the Chinese manufacturer so far.

The delivery arrived at 7:59 a.m. at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 on board a Cebu Pacific Airbus A330 flight from Beijing. Refrigerated trucks transported the vaccines to a cold storage facility in Marikina.

Galvez noted that government expects the delivery of more AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines through the COVAX Facility within the second quarter.

To date, the country has received a total of 5,540,600 vaccine doses – five million from Sinovac, 525,600 from AstraZeneca and 15,000 from Gamaleya.

KRIZJOHN ROSALES COVID’S TOLL: A woman writes the names of relatives who died during the pandemic on a memorial wall outside Quiapo Church in Manila yesterday. The Archdiocese of Manila has declared May 8 as a day of prayer for lives lost to COVID.