Adverse events: health authorities change disclosure policy
Relatively few react badly to vaccination, according to medical experts, who point to the success of the inoculation programme so far.
Health authorities are cutting back on publically reporting Covid-19 vaccine adverse events to avoid causing unnecessary anxiety.
“The number of vaccines provided internationally is huge, according to data collected globally, and we can see the vaccines being used in Macao are safe and efficient,” said Health Bureau Vaccination Coordinator, Dr Tai Wa Hou.
“Currently, the vaccination rate is over 25 per cent, a fourth of Macao’s residents have been inoculated and a large proportion of the vaccinated population did not show any symptoms.”
“Detailed disclosure of all adverse events is impractical. If there are serious adverse events or even deaths in the future, if the preliminary analysis is found to be directly related to the vaccine, the authorities will definitely publish it. If there is uncertainty about the causal link with the vaccine, the event will also be announced”.
According to the most recent figures, roughly a quarter of Macao’s residents have received one dose of either Sinopharm or BioNTech vaccine, and about 1,000 mild adverse events had been reported, only three of which were classified as serious.
Two health clinics operated by the Macao Federation of Trade Unions in Tói San and Rua do Bispo Medeiros will also start providing Sinopharm vaccinations from today on a first-come, first-served basis. The Macao Forum vaccination station offers the most vacancies for on-site registration, about 2,000 per day.
Authorities have stated that the majority of confirmed cases in Guangzhou are associated with people who have not been vaccinated, 30 per cent being aged over 60 and 30 per cent under 18.
“Many diagnosed people have mild clinical manifestations from having administered a dose of the vaccine, which shows the importance of vaccination,” Dr Tam added.
