On April 8, the Philippine health ministry suspended the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine for people under 60 at the recommendation of the local Food and Drug Administration (FDA) following reports of possible blood clotting side effects.
According to Undersecretary of Health Maria Rosario Vergeire, who was cited in the report, the FDA has issued a new recommendation to resume the vaccine's use, and the DOH has approved it. The decision was reportedly based on the evaluation of blood clotting cases in foreign countries.
The Philippines has already used almost all of the 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine received in March, according to the report. More doses are expected to be supplied by May or June through the WHO-led COVAX mechanism.
In addition to the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Philippines has also registered the vaccine by China's Sinovac.