The Department of Health (DOH) said that no deaths have been linked yet to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines since the government started its inoculation program last March.

“Hanggang sa ngayon, wala pa pong naitatala na base sa evaluation ay nagkaroon ng direct link o talagang nakita doon sa causality assessment na yung mga pagkamatay ay dahil sa bakuna. Wala pa tayong naitatalang ganyan based on the experts’ evaluation (Until now, there has been no record that there was a direct link or it was actually seen in the causality assessment that the deaths were due to the vaccine. We have not yet recorded that based on the experts’ evaluation),” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in a public briefing on Saturday, Dec. 11.

Based on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) data as of Dec. 5, "a total of 80,644 suspected adverse reaction reports were received, evaluated, and analyzed" by the agency. Of the total, 76,567 were considered as "non-serious" events while 4,077 were "serious events."

The total number of adverse reactions only represents 0.09 percent of the 91.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the Philippines as of Dec. 5, the FDA said.

The FDA also reported that 1,538 "fatal events were received" as of Dec. 5.

It noted that "reports of fatal events does not necessarily mean that the vaccine caused the events. Underlying conditions or pre-existing medical conditions causing fatal events are usually coincidental on the use of the vaccine."

“Most of these events occurred in persons with multiple existing comorbidities. These include cardiovascular diseases, ischemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and infections including pneumonia. There were cases of confirmed COVID-19 infections leading to severe cases with fatal outcomes,” it added.

Of the said deaths, 180 contracted severe COVID-19. “Most of the fatal reports have not yet completed their vaccination course," the FDA noted.

"Upon assessment, these cases were not related to the use of the vaccine, but these were actual COVID-19 natural infections,” the FDA said.

The FDA said that vaccines do not contain "any live virus and therefore not cause COVID-19 infection in vaccine recipients.”

The DOH reiterated that vaccines against COVID-19 are safe and effective.

“Lahat ng bakuna na meron tayo dito sa ating bansa napatunayan na na it’s safe and effective especially against severe infections and deaths (All the vaccines that we have here in our country have been proven to be safe and effective especially against severe infections and deaths),” said Vergeire.