Garin slams way of announcing AstraZeneca vaccine suspension

Iloilo Representative Janette Garin on Sunday took a swipe at the manner the Philippine government announced the temporary suspension of COVID-19 vaccination using AstraZeneca vaccines for people below 60 years old, saying it only added to public's vaccine hesitancy.

In a "Dobol B TV" interview, Garin, a former health secretary, questioned the rationale of announcing the suspension of AstraZeneca vaccinations for people below 60 years old when there are no more doses to administer in the first place.

"Sa pananaw ko, hindi tama ay yung manner of announcing ng ating FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Unang-una, biglang sinabi na bawal na sa mga below 60 years old. Ano ang rationale kasi wala na namang bakuna?" she said.

(I think the manner in which the FDA made the announcement was improper. First of all, you announced that the vaccine is no longer applicable for those below 60 years old. What is the rationale when there are no more doses?)

Garin added that making such an announcement when there are thousands of people who have already received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine only induced fears.

"Meron tayong mahigit kalahating milyon na nabakunahan na ng first dose na nilagyan mo ng kaba, takot at pangamba, and instead of promoting vaccine uptake, mas lalong lumala yung vaccine hesitancy," she said.

(More than half a million people who received the first dose, who are now scared and anxious. Instead of promoting vaccine uptake, it only worsened vaccine hesitancy.)

"Sa pananaw ko, masyadong mali ang timing ng announcement kasi wala namang bakuna" (In my view, the timing of the announcement was very wrong as there are no more vaccine doses), she added.

On Thursday , the Philippines temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine on individuals younger than 60, following reports of rare blood clots with low platelet counts in some recipients overseas.

“The Department of Health adopted the recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to temporarily suspend the use of AstraZeneca vaccines for individuals aged below 60 years old,” the DOH said in a statement.

Meanwhile, FDA chief Eric Domingo said the “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. We continue to underscore that the benefits of vaccination continue to outweigh the risks and we urge everyone to get vaccinated when it's their turn,” he added. 

But Garin believes the DOH and the FDA could have made the announcement better where those who have received the first dose of Astrazeneca vaccine would not fear for their health.

"What could've been done, kung wala namang con sa indication na maibigay yung second dose ng mga nabakunahan na e bigyan sila and after that there will be a carefully worded message kanino siya hindi pwede at ano ang hindi pwedeng gawin," she said.

(What could've been done, if there are no cons in the indications to give the second dose to those who have already received the first one, then give them the second dose and issue a carefully-worded message afterwards about who cannot receive this vaccine and what should not be done.)

"Yung mga ganung announcement ay dapat very specific, hindi yung very premature. Ngayon, ang dami-dami na kasing tumatawag at nagpa-panic doon sa statement na yun which I believe is unnecessary," she added.

(These announcements should be very specific and should be very premature. Now, we receive many calls of people panicking over that statement which I believe is unnecessary.)

The DOH has assured the public that no blood clots with low platelets have been reported among individuals who got the AstraZeneca vaccine in the Philippines.

Domingo also said those who have already received the AstraZeneca vaccine can still get their second dose if they did not experience any problems after the first.

“The rare side effect was so far observed only after the first dose... This is very rare but it will be included in the things to watch out for so we have to review the data and prepare before the next batch of vaccines come,” he said. —LBG, GMA News