SFDA: Vaccines are highly safe; symptoms of strokes very rare

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) emphasized that all vaccines approved in the Kingdom are of high safety. “The cases of strokes reported among those who received Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine doses were very rare,” it said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.

The authority clarified that it has received 34 reports about side effects of thrombosis and low platelets associated with the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

“These reports have been studied in all their scientific and technical aspects and presented to the relevant scientific committees. Accordingly, the authority found the existence of seven possible cases of thrombosis related to the vaccine due to the absence of other reasons for the appearance of clots in them, but until now the syndrome of immune platelet deficiency and blood clotting associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine has not been confirmed in any of these cases,” the authority said, adding, “based on the number of local reports received, the rate of occurrence of these symptoms in conjunction with the administration of the vaccine in the Kingdom is very rare.”

The SFDA reiterated that the desired benefits from administering the vaccine still outweigh the potential risks according to the medical information approved for the vaccine and that all vaccines approved in the Kingdom are of high safety.