DOH crafting guidelines on AstraZeneca vax use

MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) is now in talks with relevant experts to craft guidelines for the use of AstraZeneca jabs, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Saturday.

DOH earlier suspended the use of said vaccines on individuals aged below 60 years old following reports of blood clots with low platelets detected in some individuals who received the shot.

“With the evaluation done at base sa mga rekomendasyon all over the world and from the World Health Organization, itutuloy po natin ang bakunahan. Mayroon lang kaunting indikasyon o instructions na kailangan ibigay para mas ligtas nating magamit ang bakunang ito (With the evaluation done and based on the recommendations all over the world and the World Health Organization, we will resume the vaccination. We just need to have a few indications or instructions),” she said in a Laging Handa briefing.

Vergeire said the DOH-National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) and health experts will come up with the guidelines which will soon be forwarded to the implementing units on the ground.

The DOH also believes the suspension had little effect on the public’s vaccine confidence as she noted that the two-week evaluation is only part of a regulatory process when adverse events are reported.

“Sa tingin ko hindi naman masyado nakaapekto (sa vaccine confidence) kasi naipaliwanag naman natin nang maayos at patuloy po nating pinapaliwanag. (I think it did not leave any significant effect because we’ve already explained this properly and we continue to provide information),” she said.

Meanwhile, Vergeire said the tripartite agreements of private companies and even the local governments will soon take effect and that the vaccines procured will start coming by June 2021.

She added that the government continues to negotiate with manufacturers as the commitment for the vaccines will depend on the global supply.