THE Department of Health (DOH) yesterday said close to 600 children and adolescents have experienced adverse events after getting vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Latest data from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA showed 580 vaccinees aged 12 to 17 years old experienced adverse effects, of which 19 suffered from severe allergic reaction to the vaccine.
“The rest are non-serious, with the most common reported reactions are vaccination/ injection site pain, dizziness, headache, blood pressure increased, and tachycardia (increased heart rate),” the FDA said. The health department said there were around 800,000 adolescents and children that have been jabbed, as of November 17. Including adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) among children and adolescents, the FDA reported that there were nearly 75,000 vaccinees that experienced side effects.
“A total of 74,955 suspected adverse reaction reports were received, evaluated, and analyzed by the FDA,” the report said. The AEFIs account for 0.11 percent of the 69,713,994 doses administered as of November 14. And of the AEFIs, the FDA report showed that 71,214 are considered non-serious events, while 3,741 are deemed as serious events. AstraZeneca doses led to the highest number of AEFIs with 32,600 (out of 9,835,922 doses), followed by Sinovac doses with 29,311 (33,018,431 doses).
Recipients of Pfizer doses numbering to 6,042 (14,961,748 doses) also experienced AEFIs, followed by Janssen with 3,550 (3,596,097 doses), and Moderna with 2,577 (6,796,851 doses). Completing the AEFIs disaggregation are Sputnik V with 753 (596,746 doses), and Sinopharm with 122 (908,199 doses). The rollout for vaccinating the adolescent population started last October 15 for those with comorbidities.
Come November 2, the rollout was expanded to include all adolescents, with or without comorbidities. Among recipients of COVID- 19 jabs, the FDA reported that almost 2,473 still got infected with the virus. The FDA stressed, though, that the vaccines currently being used in the COVID-19 vaccination program do not contain any live virus and does not cause COVID-19 infection among recipients.
“These cases were not related to the use of the vaccine, but these were actual COVID-19 natural infections,” FDA said, adding that most of the infections were asymptomatic cases. However, there were 173 severe cases, which resulted to death, with the majority not yet fully vaccinated. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said no serious adverse effect has been reported so far in the administration of the COVID- 19 booster shots to priority sectors, that include healthcare workers, the elderly and immunocompromised individuals.
Duque, at the sidelines of the arrival program for 700,00 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines donated by the Australian government, said localized pain in the injection site and slight fever were the common reaction that some of the vaccine recipients felt, which was similar to what they felt when they receive their primary jabs.
The National Task Force against coronavirus disease (NTF COVID- 19) said that as of November 24, some 70,5000 booster shots have been administered nationwide. It added that the 77.56 million doses of primary COVID-19 vaccines have been administered nationwide, with 34.199 million now fully vaccinated. NTF said the country has so far received a total of 135.16 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, which includes the 90.799 million doses bought by the government, 29.07 million doses donated through the COVAX facility, 7.3 million donated by different countries, and 7.98 million doses procured by the private sector.
The government has 57.6 million doses in stockpile at present, but this does not include the 700,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines that were donated by the Australian government and received by the country yesterday. Part of the shipment will be used for the government’s booster shot program.
Duque and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the government’s priority is still to complete the administration of primary doses to vulnerable sectors and the general public. Galvez reminded the private sector that bought their own vaccines — mostly AstraZeneca and Moderna — that they must follow the vaccine prioritization of government to avoid muddling the vaccination data and at the same time ensure that 40 percent of senior citizens and 70 million of the general population who have yet to receive their first dose will not be deprived of the vaccines.
Some private companies are asking the government to allow them to use their vaccine stocks to vaccinate their children and for the booster shots of their employees. Galvez said the government has been ramping up the vaccination program and aims to administer 15 million jabs during the three-day National Vaccination Day.
BAYANIHAN, BAKUNAHAN
President Duterte, through Proclamation 1253 issued on November 24, declared November 29 to December 1 as the “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” National COVID-19 Vaccination Days. Under the proclamation, those participating in the vaccination during these days shall be exempted from work. “Employees and workers of the government and the private sector, who will be vaccinated during the period, shall not be considered absent from their work, provided that they present proof of vaccination to their respective employers, subject to rules that may be issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC),” the proclamation read. The DOH and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), in cooperation with the NTF, shall lead the observance of the Bayanihan, Bakunahan National COVID-19 Vaccination Days, and related programs, activities, and campaigns.
Relevant agencies, government-owned or -controlled corporations, state universities, and colleges, and local government units (LGUs) are directed, to actively participate and provide the necessary support and assistance to the DOH, DILG, and NTF for the effective implementation of the Proclamation while the medical, nursing, and allied health associations, faith-based, civil society and non-government organizations, and the private sector, are also encouraged to support the event.
The proclamation said LGUs shall mobilize all resources, stakeholders, health human resources, and constituents within their areas of jurisdiction to achieve the objectives of the National COVID- 19 Vaccination Days, while all health workers, including doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dentists, and medical technologists, are called upon to extend their full support and cooperation in providing COVID-19 vaccination during the campaign.
The government aims to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the country’s total population by the end of the year. President Duterte, in his Talk to the People address on Tuesday night, asked LGUs to feed vaccinees in their areas who would be participating and queueing in the vaccine sites. The President said the LGUs are authorized to use their funds to provide food for the vaccinees.
Duterte renewed calls on those unvaccinated to be inoculated as their continued refusal would make them a “threat to public health”. He said that individuals who refuse to be vaccinated should not be allowed inside public restaurants, resorts, and other establishments to protect the general public.
“Public health ‘yan kasi ang sabi ko ang dead end niyan is kamatayan. Dapat maintindihan ito ng mga kababayan natin: kailangan lahat ay magpabakuna (That is public health and the dead-end is death. The people should understand that everyone should be vaccinated),” he said.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) renewed its support to the ongoing nationwide rollout of COVID-19 vaccines by offering church spaces as venues, while encouraging the faithful to participate in the forthcoming National Vaccination Days next week. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
