323 Covid-19 vaccination-after-effects cases recorded

Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Senior Health Reporter
A TOTAL of 323 Covid-19 suspected adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) cases have been recorded in Zimbabwe ever since the country started rolling out the vaccines with reports that a majority of these cleared within a few days.

According to the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) the most commonly reported non-serious adverse reactions included headache, pruritus, dizziness, injection site pain and vomiting.

On 14 February 2021, the first 200 000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine landed in the country and Zimbabwe began the vaccination programme on February 22.

The Government has procured more than 20 million doses of the Sinopharm, Sinovac, vaccines to help the country achieve herd immunity which will be achieved when at least 10 million people receive two shots of the vaccine.

A total of 6 375 064 people have received their first doses of the vaccine, 4 738 010 their second while 942 648 citizens have received their booster shots.

To date, Zimbabwe has recorded 256 403 confirmed cases of Covid-19 infections, including 250 368 recoveries and 5 578 deaths.

In response to questions, MCAZ acting director general Mr Richard Rukwata said most of the reported AEFIs commonly known as reactions were minor or non-serious, with 25 percent of the suspected reports being classified as serious.

“As of July 8, 2022, out of a cumulative total of 6,3 million 1st doses and 4,6 million 2nd doses of Covid-19 vaccines administered, 323 suspected Covid-19 Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) cases had been reported to the MCAZ.

This translates to a rate of approximately 0,003 percent suspected adverse events, approximately 3 reactions for every 10 000 doses administered,” he said.

“About 70 percent of these 323 AEFI reports were received in the fourth quarter of 2021 and only 4 percent of the 323 AEFI reports have been received in 2022.

“The majority, 75 percent of the 323 adverse events were non-serious and most of these adverse events, 87 percent have since been resolved.”

Some of the serious adverse reactions included chest discomfort, shortness of breath, delayed menstruation, palpitations and patients usually recovered after a few days.

“Currently, no erectile dysfunction AEFI reports post Covid-19 vaccination have been received at the MCAZ.

Anyone who experiences adverse events/ reactions post vaccination should contact their health care provider to get medical assistance if required.

They are also encouraged to report the issue to the MCAZ via the electronic reporting platforms accessible using the MCAZ website https://www.mcaz.co.zw/,” he said.

Mr Rukwata said no blood clotting AEFI reports following Covid-19 vaccination have been received at the MCAZ as opposed to viral claims on social media.

“There were some deaths reported to MCAZ where the reporters suspected the vaccines were the cause of death.

Causality assessment was conducted for all the reports by the MCAZ Pharmacovigilance and Clinical Trials (PVCT) Committee in order to establish a relationship between covid-19 vaccine and the adverse event.

Of these reports, two (2) were classified as coincidental due to underlying medical conditions that were deemed to be the cause of deaths,” he said.

“There was insufficient evidence that the vaccine caused the reactions, but the reactions occurred within a reasonable time frame after vaccination in two of the deaths.

The causality assessment for 11 reports was unclassifiable since post-mortem reports had not yet been submitted.

Reclassification of these reports will be done when the post mortem reports are submitted to the MCAZ.”

He called on members of the public suspecting side effects after vaccination to immediately contact or visit their health care provider in order to get medical assistance if required.

“The health care provider can also report the issue to the MCAZ.

If the consumer or patient wishes to directly report any side effect they can use the MCAZ’s online reporting platform accessible from the MCAZ website https://www.mcaz.co.zw/ under the online services.” – @thamamoe.