On May 7, pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced it was beginning a global recall of its COVID-19 vaccine due to an "oversupply of pre-calibrated vaccines" for the disease. The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is being accused of causing a rare side effect that could lead to thrombosis and thrombocytopenia, causing public concern.
AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine.
Sharing his views on this issue, Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Quang Thai, Head of the Northern Vaccination Office, Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, said that before the deployment of the Covid-19 vaccine, thrombotic thrombocytopenia (blood clots) was not a new phenomenon, as it is a condition found in many different diseases such as infections, genetic disorders, and prolonged bed rest.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), when COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out, the world observed an increase in thrombotic thrombocytopenia. By April 2021, the WHO issued a warning that blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine were a confirmed phenomenon and may be related to the vaccine.
However, at that time, the incidence of blood clots after vaccination was rare, and the benefits of vaccination outweighed the risks. If detected early and treated promptly, those experiencing this condition could be saved. Weighing the benefits and risks, the WHO still recommended that people get vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Regarding side effects in Europe, Mr. Thai stated that, prior to 2019, the rate of spontaneous blood clots in European communities ranged from 10-30 per million people, depending on the country. With such a rate, blood clots were not uncommon (possibly due to old age, prolonged immobility, infection, or certain genetic characteristics...).
Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Quang Thai.
Meanwhile, in Asia or South America, the rate of thrombotic thrombocytopenia is extremely low compared to Europe, recorded at approximately 0.2/1 million doses, meaning only 2 cases of blood clots are observed per 10 million vaccinated individuals. More importantly, no blood clots are detected after 21 days. Those who have received the vaccine and have not experienced this phenomenon for more than 21 days can rest assured. This demonstrates that the implementation of vaccination in Vietnam is very safe.
The WHO has issued a treatment protocol for thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), and the Ministry of Health has immediately updated the protocol, enabling prompt management of unfortunate cases of vaccine-related thrombotic thrombocytopenia.
In Vietnam, through the post-vaccination reaction monitoring system, we have recorded cases of thrombotic thrombocytopenia, including one case that was transferred to Bach Mai Hospital for treatment.
According to this expert, although Vietnam is behind and has late access to vaccines, we have the advantage of leveraging the experience of other countries that have encountered similar problems. We also have a protocol for preventing and treating thrombocytopenic purpura, and this protocol is simple enough for emergency treatment at the commune level.
"During the implementation in Vietnam, the incidence of thrombocytopenic purpura was even lower than the world average, at less than 0.2/1 million doses. This means that out of approximately 10 million cases, fewer than 2 people in Vietnam experienced this condition. And all cases of thrombocytopenic purpura were treated very well," Mr. Thai said.
A study conducted two years after the global rollout of the vaccine showed that, in individuals with a history of blood clots and those without, no cases of this condition occurred after 21 days.
"There is a scientific basis for us to confidently say that those who have completed the vaccination campaign safely and effectively are safe. From July 2023 until now, Vietnam has not administered the AstraZeneca vaccine, a period much longer than we were concerned about, so people can rest assured and not worry about blood clots," Mr. Thai said.
Regarding people's concerns about getting tested, Mr. Thai said that people don't need to worry unnecessarily.
AstraZeneca was the first COVID-19 vaccine to be conditionally approved for import into Vietnam in February 2021. This vaccine was researched and developed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with the University of Oxford (UK).
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dac Phu, former Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine, Ministry of Health, since July 2023, Vietnam has used up all of this vaccine, so there is currently no risk of developing thrombosis accompanied by thrombocytopenia after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. Therefore, for those who have received this vaccine, there is no need to perform D-dimer testing or any coagulation tests because there is no longer a risk of thrombosis and thrombocytopenia in those who received the AstraZeneca vaccine nearly a year ago.
"The Ministry of Health advises people to continuously update information from reliable and official sources to have a more complete understanding of disease prevention and control measures and to clearly understand the benefits of vaccination," Mr. Phu said.
Recalling the situation three years ago, Associate Professor Pham Quang Thai expressed that, in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, the virus's virulence was very high, overwhelming the healthcare system and leading to deaths not from Covid-19 itself, but from underlying medical conditions or other illnesses that healthcare could not treat in time.
Therefore, the value of vaccines is immeasurable, not simply saving the lives of the specific individuals vaccinated against Covid-19, but also saving the healthcare system by reducing the overload associated with Covid-19.
In Vietnam, the AstraZeneca vaccine was conditionally licensed for use by the Ministry of Health from February 1, 2021, to meet the urgent needs in the prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic. This is the first Covid-19 vaccine imported and administered in Vietnam. To date, Vietnam has administered more than 266 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to people aged 5 and older, of which 70 million doses of AstraZeneca have been used for initial injections and booster shots for people aged 18 and older.
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