MANILA (PHILIPPINES) – The Philippines will get back to administering AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine to people below 60 years of age, said health officials on Monday, putting an end to a temporary suspension over reports of rare blood clots in younger recipients overseas.
“The benefit outweighs the risk. Only a small percentage of the population had these adverse effects for AstraZeneca,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told a regular news conference, by making a reference to countries where blood clots were reported.
Vergeire added that health authorities will let out guidelines to include different precautions with regard to the use of the AstraZeneca shots.
The country is yet to record blood clots as side effect. It suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine for under 60s on April 8.
The Philippines recorded 936,133 COVID-19 cases and 15,960 deaths due to the virus.
The Philippines has gotten 525,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX international vaccine-share facility. More than 900,000 more were to be shipped in May or June, as per health ministry data.