The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked the Department of Health (DOH) to continue the use of AstraZeneca vaccines in the immunization program of the country against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
This development came after the DOH and the FDA temporarily suspended the use of the jab for persons below 60 years old following reports of “very rare” blood clotting linked to the vaccine overseas.
FDA Director General Eric Domingo said Thursday, April 15, that they have already received the recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO), the country’s vaccine expert panel, and the National Adverse Events Following Immunization Committee (NAEFIC) on the use of the vaccine in the country.
“Unanimous naman lahat na ang AstraZeneca, yung paggamit niya bilang bakuna, overall, ay talagang (Everyone is unanimous that AstraZeneca, its use as a vaccine, overall, really) the benefit outweighs the known and the potential risk,” Domingo said in a televised press briefing.
The FDA chief said he wrote to DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III reiterating that the benefit of use of the AstraZeneca vaccines against COVID-19 outweighs its potential risks.
“Sumulat ako kanina kay Secretary Duque para sabihin sa kanya na, reiterate, the benefit outweighs risk, and that we should continue using the vaccine para po sa ating vaccination program (I wrote earlier to Secretary Duque to tell him, to reiterate, that the benefit outweighs risk, and that we should continue using the vaccine for our vaccination program),” Domingo said.
Domingo said the NAEFIC has not received any reports of adverse events similar to those cases of blood clotting reported in Europe from among those inoculated with AstraZeneca vaccines in the country.
He noted that the next batch of vaccines is expected to arrive in the country within two or three weeks.
“So yung mga nabigyan dati, matutuloy naman yung kanilang second dose, and at the same time magkakaroon po ng panahon ang Department of Health, yung tag-implement ng ating immunization program, na gumawa po ng bagong mga guidelines (So those who were given before, they will still receive their second dose, and at same time, the Department of Health, the implementer of our immunization program, will have more time to make new guidelines),” Domingo said.
“Kasi kailangan lang paalalahanan yung mga nagbabakuna (Because vaccinators need to be reminded), of course, that there’s the possibility of this rare side effect, at kung ano ang gagawin kung sakaling merong makita na mga sintomas, at guidelines lang po ng ating mga vaccinators kung sino ang pwede at hindi pweding bigyan ng bakuna (and what to do if there are any symptoms, and guidelines for our vaccinators on who can and cannot get the shot),” he added.