Garin: Suspension of AstraZeneca ‘premature’

The recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to suspend the use of AstraZeneca in the country was “premature and irresponsible,” according to former health secretary and now Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin. On Thursday, the FDA recommended the suspension of the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine against COVID-19 for those below 60 years old due to reports of rare blood clots in some individuals abroad. The Department of Health has adopted the recommendation. “I find the announcement of Director General Eric Domingo really premature and irresponsible,” Garin told the Inquirer on Sunday. Data from the National Task Force Against COVID-19 showed that 493,688 individuals have received their first dose of AstraZeneca.

—Nestor Corrales