SIDE effects after Covid-19 vaccination make up just 0.0003% out of a million doses, the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency said today.

Director Dr Roshayati Mohamad Sani said the 25,211 reports received on Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) work out to 383 cases for every one million doses.

Of the total number of AEFI reports received and investigated, 1,186 were booster shot recipients, and 37 vaccinated children aged five to 11.

The 1,186 AEFI cases among booster shot recipients work out to just 86 cases for every one million doses.

“This is lower than the national overall AEFI rate of 383 cases for every one million doses,” Roshayati said in a statement.

Severe AEFI cases among booster recipients total 87 or 7.34%. This works out to 6.3 very serious AEFI cases among those boosted for every one million doses.

Of all AEFI complaints received, only 1,758, or 27 cases per one million doses, were considered as serious cases.

The vast majority – 23,453 or 93% – were not serious cases. These cover symptoms such as fever, headaches, pain at the injection site, muscle aches and tiredness.

“Recovery from these symptoms takes a day or two,” Roshayati said.

AEFI in children

The 37 AEFI cases among children aged five to 11 were reported as of last Friday, and were not considered serious. Only one case, the 38th, involved hospitalisation and the child has since recovered.

“AEFI among children works out to 0.1 reports for every 1,000 doses.”

Another 20 cases of AEFI in children have been received as of Monday, and those are not considered serious either, Roshayati added.

Post-booster deaths

A total of 44 deaths that took place after booster shots were given have been reported as of last Friday, she also said.

However, 22 of these have been found as having no connection with the Covid-19 vaccine received, while the remaining 22 are still being investigated.

“Trends and reporting of AEFI cases after booster shots are not showing any increase from what we observed with primary doses. The reporting trend is also the same with other countries that have administered booster shots,” Roshayati said.

More than 65.7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines of different brands have been administered since the national immunisation programme began in February last year.

Roshayati reiterated that myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle that some fear as a result of vaccination, is a rare occurrence at 1.2 cases for every million doses.

Venous thromboembolism with thrombocytopenia, involving blood clotting with a low platelet count, is also rare, at 0.54 cases for every one million doses in Malaysia. – February 23, 2022.