DOH suspends use of AstraZeneca for persons under 60 years old

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Health on Thursday adopted the recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration to temporarily suspend the use of AstraZeneca vaccines for individuals aged below 60 years old, following recent reports of rare cases of blood clots with low platelets detected in some individuals inoculated with the vaccine.

“We are aware of the recommendation of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to list blood clots as very rare side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine. 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 (World Health Organization),” FDA Director General Rolando Enrique Domingo said in a press release published by the National Task Force Against COVID-19 yesterday.

The DOH and FDA assured the public that experts are carefully reviewing information pertinent to this new development in order to craft appropriate recommendations on the vaccine’s use.

To date, the National Adverse Events Following Immunization Committee (NAEFIC) has not received any local reports of such side effects. Nonetheless, the task force said that the DOH and FDA are carefully monitoring the rollout of vaccines to identify and appropriately manage any possible adverse events.

“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. 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,” Domingo said.

Despite this development, the NTF and the DOH reiterated that vaccination is safe and free, and urged senior citizens and persons with comorbidities to receive the available vaccines from their LGUS to acquire the added protection it provides.

DOH-7: Keep calm

DOH-7 spokesperson and chief pathologist Dr. Mary Jean Loreche yesterday allayed possible concerns from individuals 60 years old and below who have received AstraZeneca, saying they must keep their calm despite the suspension.

“Our experience so far has been mild adverse events. We wait for further instructions but we assure everyone that the experts from abroad and our own experts have reviewed all data and documents and that the benefits far outweigh the risks,” said Loreche.

Loreche said that data suggests that some of those inoculated with AstraZeneca experienced mild adverse events such as pain on the injected site, headache, and fever but none of these entailed hospitalization.

Sinovac for seniors

In a separate development, the DOH and the FDA have also given the go signal to use CoronaVac (Sinovac) for senior citizens, provided there is stringent evaluation of the person’s health status and risk exposure.

The decision to allow the use of the vaccine for seniors came upon the recommendation of the Department of Science and Technology’s vaccine expert panel. Earlier, Sinovac was only recommended for 18 to 59-year-olds.

“After considering the recommendation of the experts and the current situation of high COVID-19 transmission and limited available vaccines, the FDA is allowing the use of Sinovac on senior citizens,” Domingo said.

Also being considered in the limited availability of vaccines and the growing need to protect seniors amid the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

There is a  phase I/II safety and immunogenicity data for seniors but efficacy data is not yet sufficient to establish vaccine efficacy, but the benefits of using the vaccine for this particular group has outweighed its risks accordingly, experts said.

The DOH and FDA stressed that the use of CoronaVac to seniors “should strictly be preceded by careful evaluation of the person's health status and exposure risk.”

DOH-7 has welcomed the development.

“We know that again, with the meticulous study and review of the submitted documents in terms of effectivity for the senior citizens equals that of those 59 and below and that it is safe,” Loreche said.

“Pwede na ihatag ang Sinovac sa atong mga senior citizens and persons with comorbidities. Dili kita mahadlok nga magparehistro tungod kay kaning bakunaha is just very safe and it is also effective,” she added.

‘Please Register’

The DOH and FDA urged the public, especially senior citizens and persons with comorbidities, to register and participate in the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program to afford themselves the added layer of protection.

Registration can be done through their respective LGUs.

So far in Cebu City, over 14,000 seniors have enlisted, according to Cebu City Health Department officer-in-charge Dr. Jeffrey Ibones.

Aside from the online registration, the CHD is also going house-to-house for seniors and those with comorbidities who have no access to the internet for registration.

Meanwhile, Loreche said that of April 7, a total of 68,831 healthcare workers or about 52.2 percent of the eligible priority for A1 have been vaccinated for the first dose in Central Visayas.

Some 62,950 healthcare workers in the region have yet to get their first dose.

The number of vaccinated healthcare workers per province is as follows: Cebu, 37,530; Bohol, 21,666; Negros Oriental, 6,845; and Siquijor, 2,790.

For the second dose, some 68,831 healthcare workers are eligible for vaccination. Of that figure, 7,360 healthcare workers have been vaccinated as of April 7.

Some 2,237 healthcare workers in Cebu have been inoculated with the second dose; 213 in Bohol Province; 160 in Negros Oriental; and zero in Siquijor Province. — Caecent N. Magsumbol, JMD (FREEMAN)