FDA okays AstraZeneca, but wants DOH guidelines first

MANILA, Philippines — While AstraZeneca vaccines can again be given to individuals below 60 years old, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday that the Department of Health (DOH) must first formulate guidelines.

FDA director general Eric Domingo said guidelines would help vaccinators deal with telling vaccine recipients how to monitor themselves for possible adverse reactions.

He maintained that formulating guidelines might come in handy now, as there are no AstraZeneca jabs available at the moment.

“Last week we had to pause in the use of AstraZeneca among those below 60 years old,” Domingo said. After the Vaccine Expert Panel made a review, FDA allowed the vaccines for non-senior citizens.

Domingo noted there was no incident of blood clotting reported among those who received the AstraZeneca jabs.

“Actually it was really expected that there would be 20 percent adverse events – from mild, moderate to severe,” he added.

Since more than a million individuals have already been vaccinated, the 24,000 adverse events recorded were still “within the allowable limit,” Domingo explained.