With the removal of the AstraZeneca vaccine by the Australian government because of its link to a deadly illness, local medical professionals have called on the Government to ensure it is not used in Fiji again.
The vaccine, which was used in Fiji’s nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign between 2020 and 2022, was banned in Australia because of its link to the deadly thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). The Australian health authorities confirmed TTS is a rare but serious illness that involves blood clotting combined with low platelets. The blood clots could appear in different parts of the body such as the brain and abdomen.
In light of the announcement, medical consultant Dr Jone Hawea said Fiji should follow Australia’s footsteps and ban the vaccine completely.
“From the start, I had known that AstraZeneca was not tested like all the other vaccines because of the need for the emergency that was declared during that time,” said Dr Hawea.
“It did not go through the usual testing process for all medicines because of the emergency need and that was covered by law.
“So, we could not do anything about that. But we are only finding out the true effects of AstraZeneca since it has been rolled out and it is now a few years after the first roll-out.”
Dr Hawea said AstraZeneca was one of the least trusted vaccines. “Even the US did not want to give its citizens AstraZeneca, so for a small island State that had very little funds to purchase vaccines, we had to rely on handouts. So we are now realising its dangers.”
Dr Hawea said the producers of AstraZeneca were saying they’re decreasing its production because of poor demand. “That is a false claim. It is due to the effects which we are seeing now.”
Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Jemesa Tudravu said Fiji stopped using the vaccine in 2022, choosing to use Pfizer and Moderna.
However, Dr Tudravu said the vaccine was not banned in Fiji.
