Only 0.10% of 59 million COVID-19 jabs had adverse events after immunization —FDA

Fewer than 0.10% out of the 59 million COVID-19 doses administered in the country so far resulted in adverse events following immunization (AEFI), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Thursday.

FDA director-general Eric Domingo said the country recorded a total of 76,837 suspected adverse events as of November 21, most of which were very mild.

“So far our suspected adverse events are less than 0.10% of the total doses administered… and the majority of them are very mild,” he said in an online forum.

Data showed that 94.96% or 72,963 reported non-serious adverse reactions while only 5.04% or 3,874 reported serious adverse reactions.

Domingo stressed that an AEFI is any untoward medical event that occurs after immunization and may not necessarily be due to the usage of the vaccine.

He said the most common AEFIs reported include an increase in blood pressure, fever, headache, pain on the vaccination site, malaise, chills, muscle pain, cough, dizziness, and tiredness.

Domingo stressed that all vaccines are safe and effective.

“What we just want to remind everybody, both the vaccinators and the people who receive the vaccines, that all the vaccines used in the national immunization programs are safe and effective,” he said.

“Before we allow them to be used, our experts looked through them and assured us that the benefits of using the vaccines outweigh the risk,” he added.

He also called on vaccination sites to be prepared for possible adverse events during the national vaccination drives from November 29 to December 1.

“However, no vaccine is completely risk-free, and adverse events can occasionally occur… We have to be ready for that. There are going to be adverse events and the vaccination centers have to be ready,” he said.

As of November 21, more than 33.5 million individuals have been fully vaccinated against the illness while around 12 million are partially vaccinated. — BM, GMA News