Kasunod ito ng mga ulat ng rare cases kung saan nagdulot umano ng blood clot na may mababang platelets ang bakuna sa ilang indibiduwal na nabigyan nito.
Ayon kay FDA Director General Eric Domingo, may kamalayan sila sa rekomendasyon ng European Medicines Agency (EMA) na ilista ang blood clot bilang “very rare effect” ng AstraZeneca.
“While we have not seen such incidents in the country, the FDA has recommended to temporarily suspend the use of the vaccine for persons below 60 years old as we await results of the review being done by our local experts, as well as the official guidance of the WHO,” pahayag ni Domingo.
Tiniyak naman ng DOH at FDA sa publiko na masusing nire-review ng mga eksperto ang mga impormasyon upang makabuo ng mas akmang rekomendasyon sa paggamit ng nasabing bakuna.
Sa ngayon, walang natatanggap na ulat ng naturang side effect ang National Adverse Events Following Immunization Committee (NAEFIC).
Gayunman, mahigpit pa ring tinututukan ng DOH at FDA ang vaccine rollout.
“I want to emphasize that this temporary suspension DOES NOT MEAN that the vaccine is unsafe or ineffective – it just means that we are taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of every Filipino,” ani Domingo at aniya pa, “We continue to underscore that the benefits of vaccination continue to outweigh the risks and we urge everyone to get vaccinated when it’s their turn.”
Siniguro rin ng NTF at DOH na ligtas at libre ang vaccination at hinikayat ang mga senior citizen at mga indibiduwal na may comorbidity na tumanggap ng bakuna sa kani-kanilang LGUs para mabigyan ng proteksyon laban sa COVID-19.