A federal government report says that the Public Health Agency (PHA) did not document all “adverse events” or side effects after people were given the COVID-19 vaccine..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the PHA did not expect healthcare professionals to report every incident because vaccines usually undergo “rigorous testing for safety.”.“Should all adverse events following immunization be reported? No,” said the User Guide to Completion and Submission of the Adverse Events Following Immunization reports. .“During their development, vaccines undergo rigorous testing for safety, quality and efficacy.”.“During these ‘pre-license trials, ’ efforts are made to capture every single adverse event that follows immunization,” said the report. .“By the time a vaccine is authorized for marketing, the safety profile for common adverse events such as vaccination site reactions or mild fever is well known.”.So far, the PHA says 55,145 Canadians had a bad reaction after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. This includes dizziness, nausea, throwing up, joint pain or difficulty breathing..A total of 10,906 cases were rated serious, including 88 spontaneous abortions, 116 cases of kidney damage, 198 cases of facial paralysis, 283 heart attacks, 289 strokes and 1,167 cases of heart inflammation..Deaths that “occurred after being vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine” totalled 442 as of May 26, said the PHA. .A federal Vaccine Injury Support Program to date has received 1,859 claims for compensation in cases of serious injury or death. A total of 103 claims have been paid out so far, totalling $6.7 million..The User Guide said doctors, nurses, and pharmacists should use their best judgment when reporting adverse events..“Of particular interest are those adverse events following immunization which meet one or more of the seriousness criteria: An adverse event that is life-threatening or results in death, requires hospitalization or prolongation of an existing hospitalization, results in residual disability or causes congenital malformation,” said the report..A report from April 30 came after a 2021 Access to Information memo in which the Privy Council suggested that authorities do not talk about vaccine-related deaths and injuries to keep Canadians calm and continue getting vaccinated..“Adverse effects following immunization news reports and the government’s response to them have the potential to shake public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccination rollout,” said the memo Testing Behaviourally-Informed Messaging in Response to Severe Adverse Events Following Immunization..The memo suggested authorities use “various messaging strategies” like skewing statistics or making reassuring statements such as the “chance of it happening to me is one in a million.” .“Identify winning communication strategies to maximize public confidence in the government’s COVID regulatory regime.”
