No deaths can be directly linked to COVID-19 vaccines

KUALA LUMPUR: There are no death cases that can be directly linked to the COVID-19 vaccines administered during the implementation period of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (PICK) from Feb 24 until Nov 20.

Deputy Health Minister ll, Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said this was the outcome of the casualty assessment through the post-mortems although there were 535 reported deaths among the vaccine recipients during that period.

"All the cases that were categorised as serious including deaths will be thoroughly investigated by the relevant health facility.

"The investigation report will then be submitted to the COVID-19 Vaccine Special Pharmacovigilance Committee (JFK) for casualty assessment or the vaccines' link to the side effects."

He said this in the Dewan Rakyat today to an oral question from R. Sivarasa (PH-Sungai Buloh) on the outcome of the Health Ministry's monitoring of COVID-19 vaccine recipients, including the death cases and negative effects linked to the vaccines given.

Aaron said that during that period, the reporting system of the National Centre for Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring, National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) received 23,163 reports of adverse effects following vaccination, which was 0.45 for every 1,000 doses administered.

He said of the total, only 1,549 reports were categorised as serious which was equivalent to 0.03 reports for every 1,000 doses given and the cases were admitted to hospitals for observation and treatment for several days," he said.

Aaron also said that during the same period, 51,842,386 doses of Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, CanSino and Sinopharm vaccines were administered.

-- BERNAMA