A TOTAL of 25,770 cases or 3.5% of 706,404 Covid-19 vaccine recipients complained of mild or serious side effects as of March 31, said Health Minister Dr Adham Baba today.

According to Adham, 3,676 cases were detected by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) and 22,094 cases were through MySejahtera.

He said about 99.5% of the cases were mild, with the remaining cases requiring treatment and observation.

“Among the mild effects experienced by vaccine recipients were pain at the injection spot, fever, headache, vomiting, nausea and tingling in the body, while the more serious side effects were swelling in some parts of the body such as the face, shortness of breath and discomfort in the chest.

“Those who have serious side effects were admitted to hospital for monitoring and then discharged,” he told reporters in Serdang today.

Adham said the percentage of those with side effects is lower than the percentage in the third phase study on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, with no deaths reported.

Adham added that based on clinical data of Pfizer-BioNTech, it is not a problem for pregnant women and nursing mothers to receive the vaccine.

He said the group has been urged to take an evaluation previously, with specialists at public health clinics or private hospitals.

“Data so far shows that pregnant women can be given the vaccine,” he said.

So far, pregnant women among front-liners have started receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech jab. – Bernama, April 2, 2021.