The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday adopted the recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to temporarily suspend the use of AstraZeneca vaccines for individuals aged below 60 years old, following recent reports of rare cases of blood clots with low platelets detected in some individuals inoculated with the vaccine.

The announcement came following the request of FDA Director-General Eric Domingo.

“We asked DOH kung mayroon pa pong natitirang AstraZeneca vaccine, siguro ay huwag muna nating gamitin sa mga people below 60 until we get clearer evidence and clearer guidance from the WHO at sa ating pong mga experts,” Domingo said during the Laging Handa briefing.

According to Domingo, the cases of blood clots as side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine are “very rare” and the country has not recorded such incidents so far.

The DOH and the FDA the assured public that experts are “carefully reviewing information pertinent to this new development in order to craft appropriate recommendations on the vaccine’s use.”

“I want to emphasize that this temporary suspension does not mean that the vaccine is unsafe or ineffective—it just means that we are taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of every Filipino. We continue to underscore that the benefits of vaccination continue to outweigh the risks and we urge everyone to get vaccinated when it’s their turn,” Domingo added.