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The Philippine government would continue to roll out AstraZeneca vaccines even after some European countries discontinued their use due to some alleged health risks, according to the Department of Health (DoH).
In a joint statement, the Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said they were aware of the decision, which it said was a precautionary measure pending investigation.
“The DOH and FDA emphasize that there is no indication for the Philippines to stop the launch of the AstraZeneca vaccines,” they said.
Health authorities were coordinating closely on the issue, they said. “The public is assured that it will closely monitor all vaccines deployed.”
They also said that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh the risks. The vaccine could still be administered while the investigation is ongoing, the agencies said, citing the European Medical Authority.
The European agency said there was no indication that the vaccine caused blood clots, which are not among the listed side effects.
Denmark, Norway and Iceland suspended the use of AstraZeneca vaccines on Thursday due to blood clots in some people who received the vaccines, Reuters reported.
The Philippines received 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines this month as part of a global initiative for equal access.
WHO country representative Rabindra Abeyasinghe said last week that the Philippines would receive 4.58 million AstraZeneca vaccines by May at the facility.
Undersecretary of Health María Rosario S. Vergeire said on Friday that 114,615 people had been vaccinated as of March 10. Of the total, 101,827 were inoculated with CoronaVac from China and 12,788 were vaccinated with AstraZeneca, he said at an online news conference.
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The Health Department reported 4,578 coronavirus infections on Friday, bringing the total to 611,618. It was the highest daily count since Sept. 14, when the agency reported 4,699 cases, according to previous health bulletins.
The death toll rose by 87 to 12,694, while recoveries rose by 272 to 546,912, it said in a bulletin.
There were 52,012 active cases, of which 92.2% were mild, 4.1% had no symptoms, 1.5% were critical, 1.5% were severe, and 0.71% were moderate.
The Health department said eight duplicates were removed from the count, while 26 recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Five labs did not submit data on March 11.
Approximately 8.6 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of March 10, according to the Department of Health’s tracking website.
Meanwhile, Presidential spokesman Harry L. Roque, Jr. said in a separate online briefing that an interagency task force had approved a recommendation from the Department of Health to strengthen the enforcement of health protocols.
The working group passed Resolution 102, which also urged local governments to search for all suspected cases and have them analyzed and isolated within 24 hours.
They were also asked to monitor workplaces and closed environments and ensure that Filipinos returning abroad were delivered to them correctly.
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