The board has denied the claims, stating that no one had died from the vaccine, and termed the reports as wild misinformation.
“There was a misreporting of an Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) as fatal. The board also wishes to state that out of the reported cases, 272 were mild and resolved within a short period,” reads a statement by the PPB.
The board has assured that all reported cases of AEFI that are serious are being investigated and none of them has resulted in fatal outcomes.
According to PPB, the seven serious AEFI have been resolved. The board further called upon the public to report any suspected reaction or even death emanating from the vaccine.
The deputy director of the PPB Dr. Peter Mbwiiri Ikamati, had earlier said that the agency was investigating one death that had occurred after a Kenyan received the vaccine dose.
Dr Collins Taabu who heads the National Vaccines and Immunisation Programme dismissed the report, saying that there was no link and that the cause of death was yet to be established.
Ikamati later retracted his statement citing an error and that what was reported was a case of a woman who had miscarriage.
The Board approved the Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca in February, clearing the path for the roll-out of the vaccine in the country.
The Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi allayed fears regarding the vaccine noting that no after-effects had been recorded from Kenyans who had taken the jab.Â
“In terms of the safety of the vaccine, Astrazeneca underwent the necessary trials and already received approval by the World Health Organization (WHO).
CS Mutahi Kagwe reported that 40 minor events had been reported through the Covid-19 vaccine monitoring app. Dr Aman noted that the minor cases were expected.Â
“The events recorded are not significant to warrant any investigations,” he assured. He added that medical officers had accounted for the largest number of people who have received the vaccine at 74,698 as of April 1.
Source: KENYAGIST.COM
