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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Thursday that 3.1% or 7,469 of the 240,297 people vaccinated against COVID-19, as of March 16, reported an adverse event after immunization (AEFI).
FDA chief Eric Domingo said 7,331 of these AEFIs were not serious and 138 were serious, including one case involving death.
Domingo explained that a severe AEFI is one that results in death, a life-threatening situation such as anaphylaxis, prolonged hospitalization and hospitalization, persistent or significant disability, congenital anomaly or congenital defect, or an event of medical importance.
Some of the most common AEFIs were injection site pain, chills, chest discomfort, fatigue, and headache.
Among the AEFIs reported, 3,700 were linked to the Sinovac jab and 3,769 were linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
More than 2,400 AEFIs were also registered in Metro Manila, where most of the initial vaccine shipments were deployed.
The vice president of the National Adverse Events Committee after Immunization (NAEFIC), Dr. Rommel Lobo, said that not all adverse medical events that follow immunization “have a causal relationship with the administration of a vaccine.”
“For example, you get vaccinated and then a dog bites you. You must also report that as an AEFI. Whether related or not, there should be reports and it should be documented, ”he said.
All reported adverse events are subject to causation assessments by NAEFIC, its regional counterparts, and the Department of Health.
Lobo said the evaluation involves conducting field investigations, reviewing clinical records and gathering information on the circumstances associated with adverse events.
“Each and every AEFI report registered in the Philippines is treated with the utmost seriousness … [There] it is a thorough examination of every step of the vaccination process and it is done with great care, ”he said.
The NAEFIC previously said that the health worker who succumbed to COVID-19 after receiving a Sinovac injection died of a respiratory illness and not from the vaccine.
Domingo also urged the public to follow health protocols even after getting vaccinated, as “for the first few weeks after you are injected with a vaccine, you have no protection.”
“This is the time when your immune system is trying to develop … Your risk of developing COVID-19, contracting the disease and contracting a serious illness and possibly dying from it is the same as that of an unvaccinated person “, He said.—AOL, GMA News
