The Department of Health will resume its administration of AstraZeneca shots to ages 59 and below following a positive response from the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) on the usage of the vaccine.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Saturday explained the Philippines halted the rollout of AstraZeneca jabs was part of the regulatory process following reports on very rare cases of blood clots among those inoculated with the said vaccine in Europe.
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“Tapos na ang pag-evaluate ng mga eksperto with FDA at nagsabi naman sila talaga na after these two weeks when the evaluation comes out, we will again resume the vaccination with AstraZeneca,” she said in a press briefing.
“With the evaluation done at tsaka base rin sa mga rekomendasyon all over the world and from WHO (World Health Organization), itutuloy po natin ang bakunahan,” she furthered.
Vergeire added that the government will issue specific guidelines on the use of AstraZeneca vaccines once the rollout of the doses developed by British-Swede manufacturer resumes.
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The revised guidelines are being discussed by the agency with the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group.
Several countries in Europe temporary halted the use if AstraZeneca jabs after reports of adverse effects and blood clots among people who received the shot. (RA)
