COVID-19 vaccines closely monitored

February 26, 2021

The Department of Health (DH) has set up a reporting system online for healthcare professionals and the pharmaceutical industry to report adverse events following immunisations (AEFIs) of COVID-19 vaccines.

 

It has also written to healthcare professionals and relevant organisations, encouraging them to report suspected serious or unexpected AEFIs.

 

The law stipulates that it is necessary to put in place a mechanism for the monitoring of any adverse event occurring to the recipients associated with the administration of COVID-19 vaccines authorised for emergency use under the Government Vaccination Programme in Hong Kong.

 

The online reporting system and the move to urge to healthcare professionals to report SEFIs are in addition to the DH’s established system to receive and assess reports of AEFIs submitted by healthcare professionals and the pharmaceutical industry.

 

For active surveillance, the DH has also partnered with the University of Hong Kong Department of Pharmacology & Pharmacy to actively collect data of potential adverse events of authorised vaccines, in particular rare or serious adverse events of special interest from public and private healthcare facilities and conduct causality assessments.

 

To tie in with the aforementioned surveillance measures, the DH has established an expert committee for continuous monitoring of potential clinical events associated with COVID-19 vaccinations and to provide expert opinions and advice on the safety monitoring of authorised vaccines.

 

The Government is closely monitoring potential serious clinical events after immunisation of COVID-19 vaccines and committed to addressing public concerns. It is expected to release and update the data collected on the designated website from mid-March.

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