Government Monitoring AstraZeneca Vaccine

The Health Secretary Sophia Chan says authorities here are monitoring reports of potential side-effects in a small number of people who have received the Oxford-University-AstraZeneca vaccine. The jab is due in Hong Kong later this year as the SAR's third vaccine, alongside Sinovac and BioNTech.

Earlier this month, some European countries temporarily suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, after reports of blood clots. But the European Medicines Agency has since ruled it safe and vaccinations have resumed. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also said vaccinations using the Oxford jab should continue

"Of course we recognise the news reported in different countries about AstraZeneca," she said after appearing on a radio programme.

"We also noted there is news from the World Health Organization and some countries recently to say that all the adverse effects are not related to, or do not have a direct relationship with, the vaccination of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and the Department of Health has asked the manufacturer for further information."

In its statement on Wednesday, the WHO said the flagging of potential side effects showed that monitoring systems were working but that people developed blood clots all the time.

"Vaccination against Covid-19 will not reduce illness or deaths from other causes. Thromboembolic events are known to occur frequently. Venous thromboembolism is the third most common cardiovascular disease globally," the WHO said.

"In extensive vaccination campaigns, it is routine for countries to signal potential adverse events following immunisation. This does not necessarily mean that the events are linked to vaccination itself, but it is good practice to investigate them. It also shows that the surveillance system works and that effective controls are in place."