By NG Seruela
The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday (May 7) approved the official resumption of the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for “all eligible population,” following the recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the DOH All Experts Group on Vaccines.
In a statement issued by the department, it pointed out that the DOH All Experts Group, which consists of experts from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Vaccine Expert Panel, Health Technology Assessment Council, Interim National Immunization Technical Advisory Group, National Adverse Events Following Immunization Committee, DOH Technical Advisory Group for COVID-19, and the Philippine College of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine (PCHTM) concluded that “that there are currently no known risk factors for vaccine-induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia (VITT).”
VITT is a very rare condition of blood clots associated with low platelet counts that can occur four to 28 days after receiving a viral vector vaccine such as AstraZeneca.
The DOH added that the benefits of the vaccine still outweigh the risk.
Meanwhile, the PCHTM released updated guidelines on the management of adverse events following immunization especially for VITT. Based on the guidelines, all vaccination sites must have a “strengthened post-vaccination surveillance” to identify possible adverse events.
“All healthcare workers (HCWs) in vaccination sites will be trained to detect and manage possible symptoms of VITT and refer them accordingly to the appropriate health facility for definitive work-up and management,” it said.
The FDA in April recommended the temporary suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine for ages 59 and below due to reports of very rare cases of VITT. The recommendation was then adopted by the DOH. (DOH) -jlo
