PETALING JAYA: Malaysia should refrain from being too hasty in deciding whether to proceed with the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for Covid-19 in view of the lack of evidence to support claims of severe side effects.
It is better to wait while investigations into incidents of blood clots are concluded and presented, medical experts say.
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Prof Datuk Dr M. Subramaniam said there has been no data to indicate a direct link between the vaccine and the blood clots that were reported.
“Pain, swelling in the arm or fever are mild side effects from the vaccines that can be expected. However, if there are more serious side effects from any of the vaccines, it should be reported to the Health Ministry,” he told theSun.
“All vaccines will have to go through stringent checks by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) and approved by them before it can be brought into the country for use,” he said.
Subramaniam said MMA is confident that if the vaccine is approved by NPRA, it would be safe for use.
Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive Azrul Mohd Khalib said people need to be guided by science.
He said it is still the early days, especially for a vaccine that has yet to be used in Malaysia.
“What we know at the moment, based on statements by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), is that there is no evidence so far that the severe adverse events, involving blood clots and at least five deaths, were caused by the vaccine,” Azrul told theSun.
“The decision taken by the European countries to temporarily suspend or limit the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine is a precautionary move, as the vaccine is already being rolled out in those countries,” he said.
He added that if the all-clear is given, the decision will likely be reversed and the use of the vaccine will continue.
Azrul said WHO and EMA have said that the vaccination programme should continue and that the benefits of inoculation outweigh the current risks.
To put it into context, he said EMA indicated that there have been 30 “thromboembolic events”, or blood clots, reported after about five million vaccinations.
“Considering the affected population that was being vaccinated, namely older people, this is neither surprising nor unexpected. In any normal situation, deep vein thromboses happen to one person per 1,000 per year, which would mean that 5,000 individuals would suffer from this each year regardless.”
He said there was no evidence of a problem with blood clots during the AstraZeneca clinical trials.
He added that researchers have also indicated that there is no reason for the vaccine to even cause blood clots.
“The government has already indicated that a Monitoring of Side Effects and Adverse Events Following Immunisation framework is currently in effect and being carried out by the Health Ministry.
“This enables recipients to report any adverse events such as severe pain or allergic reactions, and get the necessary treatment,” he said.
“Whether we are taking paracetamol for headaches or receiving vaccines for Covid-19, we should always be on the lookout for side effects or adverse reactions.
“We need to be careful when jumping to conclusions on this issue and unnecessarily cause a drop in vaccine confidence.”
He said the issue that needs to be addressed is whether the vaccine is doing more good than harm.
“Thus far, the evidence shows clearly that the benefits of being vaccinated with this vaccine outweigh the current risks,” he said.
Azrul said if the AstraZeneca vaccine were to be available today in Malaysia, he would be willing to take it.
