MANILA - The use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on people 59 years and below will be halted for "about two weeks," the Department of Health said as it suspended inoculations using the brand over clotting concerns.

• AstraZeneca blood clot risk 'small' vs benefits: expert

This, as health authorities studied the vaccine’s link to a rare blood clot disease occurring among people within the age range.

In a public press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire reiterated that the suspension is a "precautionary measure" and that vaccinations would still push through if the recommendations turn out to be positive.

"Itong pagte-temporary suspend natin pag-aaralan ng mga eksperto itong sinasabing mga gantong incidents na adverse events at hinihintay natin ang rekomendasyon ng WHO," Vergeire said.

(For this temporary suspension, experts will study these incidents of adverse events, and we will wait for the WHO’s recommendation.)

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"So for this precautionary measure maybe it’s going to last about two weeks for us to have all of these recommendations at kung positive ang ating recommendation magpapatuloy ang ating pagbabakuna ng AstraZeneca (If the recommendations are positive, we will push through with vaccinating with AstraZeneca)," she added.

Vergeire said those who have been given AstraZeneca shots need not worry about the ban, as vials for the second dose are estimated to come between May or June, and are covered by the prescribed intervals for the two-shot regimen.

“Ang adverse event na ito walang nano-note sa ating country kaya sinasabi natin ay precautionary measure lang po ito. Ang 2nd dose would be around end of May pa or June kaya alam po natin na darating ang AstraZeneca vaccines from COVAX and also ang recommendation ng WHO hihintayin natin para maipagpatuloy natin ang pagbabakuna na ito,” Vergeire said.

(There are no noted incidents of adverse events in our country, that’s why we are saying that this suspension is just a precautionary measure, The second dose would be around May or June that’s why we know that the AstraZeneca vaccines from COVAX will arrive and we are waiting for WHO’s recommendation so we can push through with the vaccinations.)

Earlier Saturday, Dr. Tony Leachon, former adviser to the government's coronavirus task force, said authorities should think twice about suspending the use of AstraZeneca vaccines, saying it needs further study.

Experts had earlier said benefits of using AstraZeneca outweight its risks.

• Benefits outweigh the risks of AstraZeneca COVID shot as review continues: WHO

"Sa aking palagay, dapat tinimbang natin ito kasi doon sa United Kingdom, wala silang age specific din at nire-review nila though may link sa rare blood clot sa mga bata pero hindi pa totally nila banned sila at pagba-ban nila maiksi lang tulad ng other countries kasi 'pag ginawa mo 'yan mawawalan ng opportunity na magbakuna ka ng isang bansa," Leachon said.

(We should’ve weighed this with the one in United Kingdom. It’s not age-specific and they are reviewing this. Even though there is a link between rare blood clots and younger people, they have not totally banned its usage. The ban imposed was just brief, because if you do that, people will lose the opportunity to get vaccinated inside the country.)

The DOH on Thursday adopted the recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration to halt the use of AstraZeneca vaccines for people 59 years old and below, with the FDA clarifying that banning it does not mean the vaccine is unsafe.

The private sector and some local government units have ordered 17 million doses, with the first batch estimated to arrive this May.

With the suspension, Leachon fears that this would affect the country’s vaccination drive. AstraZeneca is one of only two COVID-19 vaccine brands currently in use in the Philippines, the other being China's Sinovac.

"Hindi masyadong maganda nangyayari sa vaccination program natin kasi kakaunti ang choices natin ngayon sa bakuna. Ang style na nakita ko sa ibang country na naging successful ay multiple choices tulad sa America 3 ang kanilang choices. Meron kang Pfizer, Moderna, at Johnson & Johnson. Maging sa Indonesia, Sinovac sila nag-umpisa, pero meron silang Pfizer at Astra," Leachon said.

(What's happening in the vaccination program is not so good because we have limited options for vaccines. The style I see in other countries that are successful is that there are multiple choices such as in America. There is Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. In Indonesia, they have Sinovac but they have Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.)

• Infectious disease expert: Halting AstraZeneca vaccine use in PH is temporary