Economists say the ongoing vaccination program is seen as a big step towards the country’s economic recovery. INQUIRER file photo / Niño Jesus Orbeta
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) said Friday that experts will study if the stroke and other health complications experienced by a man inoculated with Sinovac Biotech’s CoronaVac in Caloocan City are related to his vaccination.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Regional Adverse Event Following Immunization Committee (RAEFIC) of Metro Manila will hold a meeting to discuss the situation of the man who suffered health issues after his vaccination on March 29.
“Itong sinasabi nilang nakapost ngayon sa FB (Facebook), pag-aaralan at nakaschedule na ang ating RAEFIC na magkaroon ng pagmi-meeting tungkol doon sa nangyaring ito on April 15,” Vergeire said in an online press briefing.
(This incident that was posted on FB will be studied. The RAEFIC is scheduled to hold a meeting regarding this [incident] on April 15.)
The adverse events experienced by the vaccinee were shared by his daughter Nicole Omandog Totanis on Facebook on Wednesday.
She said that her father, who was diabetic and hypertensive, experienced difficulty in breathing, dizziness, vomiting, severe headache, and cramps on his legs following his vaccination. She added that her father is now intubated at the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City.
Her post has so far garnered over 18,000 reactions and over 39,000 shares on Facebook as of posting time.
Meanwhile, Food and Drug Administration Director General Eric Domingo, who was present in the same press briefing, said that all health issues experienced by vaccinees within 30 days after inoculation are counted as adverse events following immunization.
He said that the National Adverse Event Following Immunization Committee then investigates if the incidents are related to the vaccines itself.
Domingo also noted that anyone can suffer a stroke with or without vaccination.
“Maaari naman ang tao, whether nabakunahan ka o hindi, ay pwede kang mastroke. Stroke and heart disease, ‘yan and number one and two causes of death sa Pilipinas,” he said.
(A person can suffer a stroke whether he was vaccinated or not. Stroke and heart disease are the top two causes of death in the Philippines.)
“Kapag ‘yan ay nangyari within 30 days ng pagbabakuna, irereport ‘yan, kasama ‘yan sa adverse event reporting natin tapos titingnan natin kung related or coincidental siya sa vaccination,” he added.
(If this happens within 30 days of vaccination, that will be reported as an adverse event, then we will identify if it is related or coincidental to the vaccination.)
Health authorities have been stressing that the benefits outweigh the risks in inoculation and that the side effects being experienced by few vaccinees are only “minor” and “common.”
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