Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 8) — Those who develop a severe allergic reaction after receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine dose can still get their second shot, but it would no longer be of the same brand, the executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination said Tuesday.
In a media briefing, Dr. Lulu Bravo said although the brands may differ for the two shots, they would most likely still be of the same vaccine platform. She also noted that those who experienced serious side effects only make up a “very small” percentage of vaccine recipients.
The expert reiterated that COVID-19 vaccines being administered in the country are safe, adding that the PFV has seen no “red flag” in the three months it has monitored the national immunization program.
“Dito sa aming almost three months na monitoring, wala kaming nakitang masamang epekto sa bakuna [In our almost three months of monitoring, we saw no negative effect of the vaccines],” she said.
“Maski na marami tayong sinasabi na report na may adverse event, yan naman po ‘yung mga minor [Even if there were several reported adverse events, those were only minor],” she added, as she listed fever, headache, and stomach ache as among the most common examples.
Bravo also strongly urged the public to undergo a medical check-up first before getting their shot. She said this is because the reported hospitalizations or serious adverse events, including deaths, after inoculation were not due to the vaccine itself but because of untreated underlying illnesses.
She added that some were caused by contracting COVID-19 before being fully immunized.
Official data show that 6 million doses have been administered to some 4.49 million people nationwide, including 1.6 million who have been fully vaccinated.
