NPRA receives 1,047 AEFI reports related to Pfizer vaccine

PUTRAJAYA: The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) has received 1,047 reports of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) associated with the COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as of Jan 31, said its director Dr Roshayati Mohamad Sani.

Of the total, 992 cases involved the primer dose while 55 cases, the booster dose.

As for the Sinovac vaccine, she said 544 AEFI reports were received comprising 537 (primer dose) and seven (booster dose), while the AstraZeneca vaccine recorded 138 reports, namely 136 (primer dose) and two (booster dose).

"All these serious AEFI reports will be investigated and evaluated to determine the link between the adverse effects and the COVID-19 vaccine received," she said during an online engagement session with the media on AEFI and the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) today.

Dr Roshayati said vaccine recipients experiencing AEFI can submit their report through the MySejahtera application or by filling out the Consumer Side Effect Reporting Form (ConSERF) on NPRA's website at www.npra.gov.my.

Meanwhile, Tunku Azizah Hospital Paediatrics and Subspecialty Paeds Dermatology Consultant, Dr Sabeera Begum Kader Ibrahim, said a total of 174 cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) were reported among children who were infected with COVID-19 since November 2021.

She said of the total, 56 per cent involved children aged five to 11, apart from 25 children under the age of one year, adding that among the effects of MIS-C are inflammation and other chronic diseases.

"It is timely to embark on children vaccination programme as they are exposed to COVID-19 which can lead to severe infection and complications," she said.

PICKids kicked off in the Klang Valley on Feb 3 and it is estimated that four million children aged five to 11 are eligible to receive the vaccine. The programme is being implemented on a voluntary basis and no restrictions will be imposed on unvaccinated children.

Health deputy director-general (Research and Technical Support), Datuk Dr Hishamshah Mohd Ibrahim, said one of the important strategies to enable children to return to school was through the COVID-19 vaccination.

He said unvaccinated children are more exposed to COVID-19 infection and they are also at risk of infecting the adults.

-- BERNAMA