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Calls for transparency after suspension of AstraZeneca vaccine batch
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Medical workers prepare to administer a COVID-19 vaccine during a drive-through vaccination service in Nusa Dua, Bali, on March 1. (Agence France Presse/Sonny Tumbelaka)
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oncerns have been raised over the way the government is handling deaths suspected to be linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine, with immunologists warning that a failure to provide clear and transparent information about the two cases or any adverse events could jeopardize the vaccination drive.
The Health Ministry has suspended the use of a batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine following the discovery of two deaths. The suspended batch in question was received by the country from the COVAX Facility multilateral initiative in late April. It accounted for around 448,400 doses of a total 3.8 million doses shipped at the time, distributed to the Indonesian Military (TNI) and partly to Jakarta and North Sulawesi.
A May 11 letter sent by the Food and Monitoring Agency (BPOM) to the Health Ministry revealed that the agency was investigating the toxicity and sterility of the vaccine doses in the batch following reports of two deaths allegedly linked to the vaccine. The agency said on Wednesday it was still looking into the patients' history of illness, symptoms and their onset to determine any casualties with other concerned professional groups.
The investigation was based on a recommendation by the National Commission on Post-Immunization Accidents (Komnas KIPI), which is tasked with keeping track of adverse events following vaccinations in the country but lacked data to determine whether the two fatal cases were indeed linked to the vaccine.
The Health Ministry said on Sunday the investigation might take one to two weeks, adding that AstraZeneca doses from other batches would remain in use.
"The use of the AstraZeneca vaccine must continue because vaccination against COVID-19 brings more benefits [than risks]," Health Ministry spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi said.
Indonesia previously delayed the use of AstraZeneca in mid-March, when it had just started arriving in the country, following other countries over concerns of blood clots.
