Instead of posting on social media the adverse effects they supposedly got from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines, the head of the government's Task Force COVID-19 Adverse Effects urged vaccine recipients to report it to proper authorities.
Task Force head Dr Maricar Ang said this is because posting it on social media may result in many people fearing the vaccine.
"It may result in many people fearing the vaccine if they post on social media the adverse effects without any proof that it was caused by the vaccine given to them," she said during the Laging Handa press briefing Tuesday, Feb. 23.
"There is a proper forum for reporting. There is a group in charge of getting adverse effects following immunization," added Ang.
She said individuals should report it to the proper agency in order to find out if it was really caused by the vaccine they received.
"We need to analyze if the adverse effects, like allergies, are really due to the vaccine or not," said Ang.
Meanwhile, Dr. Lulu Bravo of the Philippine Medical Association for Immunization said the public should trust the experts when it comes to the vaccines.
"As I have always mentioned we have to trust experts. They were the ones looking at all the data," she said in a television interview.
"It's easy to make a judgment but it's not easy to pour and look over at scientific data to really come out and say 'okay, this is best for us now,'" added Bravo.
On Monday, the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) granted Emergency Use Authority (EUA) for the COVID-19 vaccine of China's Sinovac Biotech.
FDA Director General Undersecretary Eric Domingo said all conditions for an EUA are present and the benefits of using the vaccine outweigh the known and potential risks.
He said interim data show that when the vaccine is used on clinically healthy members of a community aged 18 to 59 it has an efficacy rate of 65.3 to 91.2 percent.
However, he said, it has a lower efficacy rate of 50.4 percent when used on healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19.
"Therefore, it is not recommended for use in this group," said Domingo.