MANILA: Philippine health authorities suspended on Thursday the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for people below 60 years of age to investigate reports of blood clots coming from overseas.
The temporary suspension came after the European Medicines Agency recommended to include blood clots as a rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Food and Drug Administration chief Rolando Enrique Domingo said in a statement, adding that there were no reports of such adverse side effects in the country.
“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,” Domingo said.
The Southeast Asian country, which is battling one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia, has been counting on speeding up a sluggish rollout of vaccinations to help alleviate pressure on hospitals and boost its pandemic-battered economy.
The Philippines has so far received 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, about a fifth of the country’s total inventory, through the COVAX facility. Another 2.6 million doses, purchased by the private sector, will be delivered next month.
The Philippines kicked off its inoculation program on March 1, starting with health care workers. Vaccinations have since expanded to people with co-morbidities and the elderly.
It has so far administered nearly 923,000 doses of China’s Sinovac Biotech and AstraZeneca vaccines, part of its goal of inoculating 70 million of its 108 million population this year.
Philippines suspends use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for people under 60
https://arab.news/8bbag
Philippines suspends use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for people under 60
- ‘This temporary suspension does not mean that the vaccine is unsafe or ineffective’
- The Philippines has so far received 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines
WHO says one person dead from Nipah virus in Bangladesh
- Nipah is an infection that spreads mainly through products contaminated by infected bats, such as fruit
DHAKA: The World Health Organization said on Friday that a woman had died in northern Bangladesh in January after contracting the deadly Nipah virus infection.
The case in Bangladesh, where Nipah cases are reported almost every year, follows two Nipah virus cases identified in neighboring India, which has already prompted stepped-up airport screenings across Asia.
The patient in Bangladesh, aged between 40-50 years, developed symptoms consistent with Nipah virus on January 21, including fever and headache followed by hypersalivation, disorientation and convulsion, the WHO added.
She died a week later and was confirmed to be infected with the virus a day later.
The person had no travel history but had a history of consuming raw date palm sap. All 35 people who had contact with the patient are being monitored and have tested negative for the virus, and no further cases have been detected to date, the WHO said.
Nipah is an infection that spreads mainly through products contaminated by infected bats, such as fruit. It can be fatal in up to 75 percent of cases, but it does not spread easily between people.
Countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Pakistan implemented temperature screenings at airports after India said cases of the virus had been found in West Bengal.
The WHO said on Friday that the risk of international disease spread is considered low and that it does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions based on current information.
In 2025, four laboratory-confirmed fatal cases were reported in Bangladesh.
There are currently no licensed medicines or vaccines specific for the infection.
