Pfizer Vaccine Batch Suspended in Vietnamese Province As Over 120 Students Hospitalised

A Vietnamese province has suspended the use of a Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine batch after more than 120 students were hospitalised after receiving the shot.

The province of Thanh Hoa have been vaccinating 15 to 17 years with the Pfizer jab since Nov 30.

The New Straits Times reports: According to a Vn Express news report, the provincial Center for Disease Control (CDC) said that as of Thursday, over 120 children were admitted to hospitals after showing symptoms like nausea, high fever or breathing difficulties,

Seventeen of them had severe reactions, but have been stabilised and are being monitored closely.

However, the cause of their symptoms is yet to be confirmed by Thanh Hoa authorities.

Local CDC director Luong Ngoc Truong said they have stopped using the current vaccine batch.

“We still have other batches, also Pfizer vaccines, so we will continue vaccinating the children,” he said.

The suspended batch would be put into storage and could be used later for other groups like adults, Truong added.

Ha Trung District General Hospital director Vu Van Chinh said side-effects following vaccination was normal but were more likely to happen in children than adults.

The Thanh Hoa CDC has distributed around 117,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses to 27 districts and towns. Over 56,700 doses have been administered.

Over the past week, three children have also died following their vaccination with the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in Bac Giang, Hanoi and Binh Phuoc.

The Health Ministry has said the cause of the deaths was “overreaction to the vaccine,” and not linked to the quality of the vaccine or the vaccination process.”

Until now, 34 cities and provinces in Vietnam have vaccinated children 12-17 years old with more than 3.5 million doses.

Last week, four workers in Thanh Hoa’s Kim Viet Shoe factory died following their Vero Cell Covid-19 vaccination, also due to “overreaction.”