Philippines to suspend AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for people under the age of 60

On Thursday, Philippine health officials suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for people under the age of 60 in order to investigate reports of blood clots from other countries.

The temporary suspension came after the European Medicines Agency recommended including blood clots as a rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine, according to Food and Drug Administration chief Rolando Enrique Domingo who added in a statement that there were no reports of such adverse side effects in the country.

Domingo said “This temporary suspension does not mean that the vaccine is unsafe or ineffective — it just means that we are taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of every Filipino,”.

The Southeast Asian country, which is dealing with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia, has been counting hasting a sluggish vaccinations rollout to help relieve pressure on hospitals and boost its pandemic-battered economy.

Through the COVAX facility The Philippines has so far received 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, roughly one-fifth of the country’s total inventory,. Another 2.6 million doses, purchased by the private sector, will be delivered next month.