Ministry of Health: People vaccinated with AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine 'should not panic'

The Ministry of Health said that side effects of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine (if any) only occur within 28 days after use, and people who have been vaccinated should not panic.

On the morning of May 3, Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Luong Ngoc Khue advised as above after AstraZeneca first admitted that its Covid-19 vaccine can cause blood clots in some rare cases.

A vial of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine is injected in Vietnam in 2021. (Photo: Huu Khoa).

According to Mr. Khue, most people have been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for several years (2021-2022), so " there is no need to worry too much about side effects leading to blood clots". In addition, blood clots are also a side effect that Vietnam has warned people about when organizing Covid-19 vaccination. The Ministry of Health has developed a strict vaccination process, people must measure blood pressure, have screening examinations as well as closely monitor before, during and after vaccination. The Ministry also recommends vigilance, monitoring, early detection and timely treatment of rare blood clotting events in people after vaccination, such as needing to be hospitalized for severe headaches; abdominal pain, back pain; nausea and vomiting; changes in vision.

Similarly, an expert from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology said that all vaccines, when licensed for use, must undergo a very strict review process. The rate of adverse reactions recorded after the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is very low. In fact, tens of millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been administered in Vietnam, but only a few cases of post-injection thrombosis-related reactions have been recorded, which are not life-threatening.

"This is an extremely low rate ," the expert said, adding that blood clots only occurred within 28 days of vaccination. Vietnam has now stopped deploying the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, and so far no additional cases of adverse reactions after vaccination have been recorded.

When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, Vietnam ordered 30 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, along with aid packages. By mid-2023, our country had administered more than 266.5 million doses, making it one of the countries with the highest vaccine coverage rates in the world. The Covid-19 vaccine is effective in preventing disease and complications caused by nCoV, reducing the rate of severe illness and death.