The Philippines to carry on with AstraZeneca vaccinations amid suspensions in Europe

The Philippines Health Authorities has said on Friday they saw no reason to halt using the AstraZeneca vaccine in the country despite suspension of inoculations in Denmark, Norway and Iceland due to reports of blood clots.

“At present, the Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration emphasise that there is no indication for the Philippines to stop rollout of AstraZeneca vaccines,” the Health Ministry and the country’s food and drug administration said in a joint statement, adding that benefits outweigh the risks.

The Philippines has so far received 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX facility.