There is no withdrawal of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, the benefits are considered greater

The government has not withdrawn the AstraZeneca vaccine. This vaccine is now no longer available in Indonesia.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

The medical personnel at the Army Central Hospital displayed the AstraZeneca vaccine that will be administered to registered vaccine recipients at Kolese Gonzaga, South Jakarta, on Wednesday (5/5/2021).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The Indonesian government has not withdrawn the Covid-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca. It is hoped that residents will not worry about reports of side effects of thrombosis and thrombocytopenia from administering the vaccine because the benefits are much greater as protection for the community.

Head of the Communications and Public Services Bureau Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi, when contacted, in Jakarta, Saturday (4/5/2024), said the government was not interested Covid-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca from circulation. This vaccine is now no longer available in Indonesia.

”There is no (withdrawal). "Currently the vaccine (Covid-19 product from AstraZeneca) has also run out since early 2023," he said.

Also read: AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine Triggers Side Effects, No Case Reports in Indonesia

Based on data from the Ministry of Health, there have been at least 452.41 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine administered to the public. Of this total, 73.98 million doses were given using the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine (AZ). The other most frequently administered vaccine types are Sinovac (266.3 million doses) and Pfizer (85.9 million doses).

Chairman of the National Commission for the Study and Management of Post-Immunization Adverse Events (Komnas PP KIPI) Hindra Irawan Satari said, of the more than 70 million injections of the AstraZeneca vaccine given to people in Indonesia, there were no reports associated thrombosis with thrombocytopenia. It is hoped that the public will not need to worry too much about this risk.

"The condition of TTS (thrombosis with thrombocytopenia) related to the administration of the AZ (AstraZeneca) vaccine occurs 4-42 days after the injection is given. So, after the AZ vaccine has been fully administered in Indonesia, if there are cases of TTS found, it is not caused by the AZ vaccine, but by other diseases," he explained.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is a type of vaccine developed based on adenovirus. This vaccine was developed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with the University of Oxford. AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine production began to be used in Indonesia in March 2021.

Also read: Profits and Losses of the AstraZeneca Vaccine amid Limited Supply

The Director of the Postgraduate Program at Yarsi University and also a Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia (FKUI), Tjandra Yoga Aditama, said that the side effects of administering the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine are not actually new. These side effects were a concern in 2021 when the vaccine was first used.

Benefit

Quoting the European Medicine Agency's (EMA) report on April 7, 2021, there is a possibility of a connection between the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and unusual blood clotting with low platelet levels, which rarely occurs. However, the benefits of the vaccine in preventing Covid-19 are greater than the risk of its side effects.

KOMPAS/KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

The Covid-19 Task Force screening personnel in North Sulawesi checked the blood pressure of prospective vaccine recipients during a mass vaccination event in Manado on Wednesday (24/3/2021).

In addition, on March 19, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a document stating that the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has significant benefits in preventing infection and reducing the risk of death from Covid-19 worldwide. Monitoring is still needed regarding suspected side effects.

The use of Covid-19 vaccines has been temporarily stopped in several countries, such as Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, Denmark, and the Netherlands. However, many other countries, including Indonesia, continue to use the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine as a preventive measure against Covid-19.

Also read: AstraZeneca Vaccine Protection Declines After Three Months

”So, side effects of the Covid-19 Astrazeneca vaccine are nothing new. "That has been known since 2021. Only the benefits of vaccination to protect someone from Covid-19 at that time were much higher than the possible side effects, and that is very rare," said Tjandra.

After the AZ vaccine has run out in Indonesia, if there are cases of blood clotting found, it is not due to the AZ vaccine, but is caused by other diseases.

This was also conveyed by epidemiologist and health security researcher from Griffith University, Dicky Budiman. The protection from vaccines is far greater than the potential side effects that may arise. The significant benefits of vaccines have been proven through the experience of tackling other diseases, such as polio.

Before the existence of polio vaccines, outbreaks in the community caused by the disease frequently occurred. However, after the widespread administration of polio vaccines, cases of polio are now rarely found.

Risk communication

Nevertheless, Dicky stated that risk communication needs to be more massive in responding to information related to the side effects found from the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. This is especially important for the Indonesian community who have previously received the vaccine.

"The symptoms of TTS related to the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine generally occur after two weeks or one month following the injection. If it is more than that, especially more than one year, the impact will disappear. If there are TTS effects, it is likely not related to the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine," he said.

Also read: Mitigating the Risk of Blood Clots from the AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine

The condition of TTS can occur due to other conditions besides being related to the administration of adenovirus-based Covid-19 vaccines. Other conditions that can trigger TTS include autoimmune diseases, cancer, the use of certain medications, severe infections, and genetic or familial factors.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

The medical staff of the Army Central Hospital is preparing to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to prospective recipients who have been registered at Gonzaga College in South Jakarta, on Wednesday (5/5/2021).

Symptoms of blood clots related to vaccines include shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling in the legs, persistent stomach pain, as well as neurological symptoms such as severe and persistent headache and blurred vision.

Other symptoms include, among other things, skin disorders in the form of spots. If these symptoms are found, you must immediately seek help from a health professional. "There is a difference between vaccine-related TTS or VITT (vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia) and other TTS," said Dicky,

"Usually, in VITT cases, when examined in the blood, there are antibodies found called platelet factor 4 or PF-4. This is a characteristic of TTS or VITT cases, especially those related to adenovirus vaccines, such as AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson," he explained.