AstraZeneca met with Philippine authorities to assure them of the safety of their COVID-19 vaccines after the halted vaccination rollouts in European countries, claiming the vaccines could be linked to blood clots.
Food and Drug Administration Director General Eric Domingo said the findings explain these blood clotting incidents as similar to “what would happen in a normal population without the vaccine or in populations that are vaccinated even with other brands.”
Prior to this, AstraZeneca released a statement reporting that after a “careful review” of more than 17 million people vaccinated with its shot in Europe and Britain, they found that there was “no evidence” of increased risk of clots.
Several countries have paused the rollout of the drug as a precautionary measure while European drug regulators are conducting a review on the reported cases.
Philippines has received over 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines through the global initiative COVAX. WHO country representative Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe also said the Philippines will receive 4.5 million additional doses of AstraZeneca vaccines by April or May.
