A health worker prepares a syringe containing a dose of Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine at Bang Khun Thian Geriatric Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, April 21, 2021. REUTERS / Athit Perawongmetha
Thailand will continue to use China’s Sinovac Biotech (SVA.O) COVID-19 vaccine after six reports of unusual “stroke-like” side effects in recipients, government-appointed experts said Wednesday.
Six medical personnel in Rayong Province, east of Bangkok, who were vaccinated earlier this month, showed symptoms similar to those of a stroke, the panel of experts said, including drowsiness and numbness in the limbs.
They have since recovered after stroke treatment and no blood clots have been found.
The announcement comes amid increased global focus on efficacy levels and potential side effects of various COVID-19 vaccines and temporary suspensions in some countries, including more than reports of blood clots in some recipients.
Sinovac did not immediately respond to an email asking for comment.
Thailand has received two million doses of CoronaVac from the Chinese company, which have already been administered to more than 600,000 people across the country. It has ordered 1.5 million additional shots to arrive soon.
The experts could not say with certainty what caused the symptoms, which they thought were related to the nervous system and were not fatal, said Kulkanya Chokephaibulkit of Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok.
Brain scans of all six women showed normal results suggesting no stroke, and no irregularities were found in the vaccine batch from which the six doses came, Kulkanya said.
Doses from the same batch were distributed among other counties, and perhaps more than 300,000 people have already received the injections, she added.
“The panel agreed that we can continue to use this batch of vaccine because the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the temporary effects that may occur,” said Kulkanya.
No such effects have previously been reported in Thailand or other countries, she added.
The incidents would not change Thailand’s plan to begin mass vaccinations starting in June, Taweesap Siraprapasiri of the Department of Disease Control said.
“The side effects can be controlled and they don’t go beyond what we can expect,” said Taweesap.
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