THE Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration see no need to stop the rollout of the AstraZenecca vaccines amid the decision of a few countries in the European Union to pause their vaccination campaign using the vaccine.
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said the DOH, the NTF and the FDA are closely coordinating on the matter and they are aware that some EU members made the decision following reports of blood clots in people who received the vaccine.
“At present, the DOH and FDA emphasize that there is no indication for the Philippines to stop rollout of AstraZeneca vaccines. The DOH, NTF and FDA are closely coordinating on this matter,” he said.
Duque said the pause in the rollout of AstraZenecca vaccines in some EU countries made as a precautionary measure, while they conduct a full investigation to determine causality between the vaccination and the reported adverse events following immunization.
Moreover, he added, the European Medicine Authority has also emphasized that there is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine.
“The position of EMA’s safety committee PRAC is that the vaccine’s benefits continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine can continue to be administered while investigation of cases of thromboembolic events is ongoing. PRAC is already reviewing all cases of thromboembolic events, and other conditions related to blood clots, reported post-vaccination with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca,” the EMA said in a statement.
To reassure the public, Duque said they will closely monitor all deployed vaccines.astra
