July 2023 Monthly Pharmacovigilance Report Issued. 113,002 (+313 New Reports, including +16 serious) of Suspected AEFI, 3,837 Deaths (+12). Reports from new Pfizer Bivalent are up to 321 (1 serious).
Reports will be moving to quarterly after this report, and only until the end of 2023. Thereafter, reports will only be issued "as needed".
The Philippines July 2023 Pharmacovigilance Report for suspected reactions has just been released.
There has been no update in total doses administered since March 2023.
The updated Table 2 shows reports of suspected AEFI by Vaccine Type, risen by 313 new reports since June 2023. Deaths, reported in the document text, but not shown in this table, have risen by 12 new deaths to 2,837. The average of reported death is 59.17, well below the national average age of death which is around 70.
The Pfizer Bivalent has been given as a 3rd booster since 21st June 2023. After 22 reports of AEFI in the June 2023 report, there are now 321 SAE reported, including 1 serious, but with no indication of whether this was a death.
Due to slow uptake of the on-hand Pfizer Bivalent, DOH approved release of these products to the general population on 5th August 2023. DOH has reported that as of 15th August 2023, 69% of the donated 390,000 doses of bivalent Pfizer have been administered.
Previously, in July, Media had reported that uptake of available doses was only 38% by the initially prioritized HCW and elder persons.
The reported 321 Suspected Adverse Events / (390,000 *38%) = 0.22% rate of adverse events, or 1 reported adverse reaction per 462 doses of Pfizer Bivalent.
Considering that there is known massive underreporting of AEFI, the real rate of adverse events may be 40x higher (1/12 doses), or even 100x (1/5 doses), or more. This makes sense; international data finds that more doses correlate with higher rates of adverse events.
Regardless, the pharmacovigilance report summary reminds that regardless of what the people making these reports may have observed or thought, it cannot be assumed that these are causally linked to the injections taken: -
And concludes, as it has since March 2021, that benefit outweighs risk: -
Vaccines are effective, vaccines are safe, vaccines are necessary, take more vaccines, believe!