DOH updates guidelines for management of COVID-19 vaccine side effects

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said guidelines for the management of COVID-19 vaccine side effects have been updated as it announced the official resumption of AstraZeneca vaccination for people younger than 60.

The DOH approved earlier this month the recommendation to resume the use of the AstraZeneca jab on people under 60 after it was suspended due to concerns on possible blood clotting with low platelet count.

The condition, called vaccine-induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia (VITT), is a “very rare condition” that can occur four to 28 days after getting a viral vector vaccine like AstraZeneca, the DOH explained.

Members of the DOH All Experts Group and the Philippine College of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine (PCHTM) concluded that “there are currently no known risk factors for VITT” and that the benefits of getting a COVID-19 shot outweigh the risk.

“However, specific guidelines and measures will still be enforced so that the risks can be mitigated. To date, no local VITT events have been confirmed,” the DOH said in a statement.

“Updated guidelines on the management of adverse events following immunization (AEFI), particularly for VITT, were also subsequently released by the PCHTM,” it added.

The updated guidelines mandate “strengthened post-vaccination surveillance” for possible AEFI.

Healthcare workers manning vaccination sites will also be trained to detect and manage symptoms of VITT and refer such cases to the appropriate facility.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) said Friday the indemnification package for people who will experience adverse effects from COVID-19 vaccination will be released soon.

“Maybe we will be able to release it within a month or [earlier],” PhilHealth vice president Shirley Domingo said at the Laging Handa briefing.

She said the indemnification guidelines already had the approval of the PhilHealth Board although the funding requirement is still being finalized.

The Philippines will receive 2 million AstraZeneca doses from the COVAX Facility on Saturday.

Over 1.7 million individuals have been vaccinated as of May 4, still far off from the government’s target of inoculating 50 million to 70 million people this year.—AOL, GMA News