As PH gears up for COVID-19 vaccination, allergy experts say deaths from jabs rare
ABS-CBN News – Feb 11 2021 02:35 PM
MANILA — As the Philippines prepares to begin its vaccination program against COVID-19, Allergy experts on Thursday said that severe allergic reactions and deaths from vaccines are extremely rare.
This as government has been working to quell fears of the vaccine, with recent surveys showing hesitancy.
“So far on review there were no deaths on anaphylaxis,” said Philippines Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (PSAAI) President Dr. Rommel Lobo during an online forum.
Lobo said this is based data from the Department of Health’s Epidemiology Bureau, which was last published in 2014 and is currently being updated for release this year.
The severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis is the lone contraindication for some COVID-19 vaccines like that of Pfizer. But for the brand, only 5 cases of severe allergic reactions have been detected out of 1 million people injected with its COVID-19 vaccine, according to PSAAI.
Dr. Maricar Ang, also from the group, said anaphylaxis usually involves two or more organs and can result in some of the following symptoms: rashes or hives, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, vomiting, swelling of the face, low blood pressure, and rapid heart beat.
The PSAAI said they also have not heard of any deaths abroad caused by anaphylaxis linked to COVID-19 vaccines.
Lobo, who is also a member of the Philippines’ National Adverse Events Following Immunization Committee, said this is why it is important to check for the real cause of adverse events after immunization.
Experts have previously explained that deaths that happen after immunization may not necessarily be caused by the vaccine. Such was said of the deaths of elderly people in Norway who were vaccinated even though they were said to be terminally ill.
The PSAAI assured Filipinos that health workers are trained to deal with anaphylaxis and other allergic reactions in the rare chance that they happen.
The group said the drug epinephrine can quickly reverse symptoms. Severe allergic reactions also manifest immediately, which is why it is important for vaccine recipients to stay in the vaccination site for at least 30 minutes to be monitored for side effects.
The Philippines hopes to vaccinate up to 70 million people this year, starting February.
It will get some 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX Facility in the first quarter, including 117,000 doses of the Pfizer jabs, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said.
Some 600,000 jabs from China’s Sinovac are set to arrive on Feb. 23.
SOURCE: https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/11/21/as-ph-gears-up-for-covid-19-vaccination-allergy-experts-say-deaths-from-jabs-rare?fbclid=IwAR22U7H9cr3JTeXxweenZp–H2TyHzTw1yGBAft52dDNo-53F90TGwQx-mE
