Investigations continuing into deaths

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Kenneth George revealed Friday that one case of interest has emerged from ongoing investigations into the deaths of four people who had been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Speaking on the Voice of Barbados call-in programme Down to Brasstacks today where he was pressed for an update about adverse reactions to vaccines, George said: “There are about four cases of deaths associated in the post-vaccine period and I believe that so far the information is pointing to only one of those cases that may have some association.”

No details on the age, gender or date of deaths of the four persons were revealed.

The CMO noted that the Adverse Events Following Immunization Committee which is tasked with analyzing and documenting cases of local adverse effects to the vaccine, has compiled a lot of data. “That information looks at all the evidence and tries to come with clinical evidence to make the determination if there is a link to the vaccine, so investigations are continuing.”

Dr George stressed there is a rigorous process to be followed before a link can be made.

He explained: “In public health, there is the concept of association and causation and to make a determination if a vaccine causes a particular event whether it be fatal or not fatal, is a process that requires many steps.

“There are many bench marks that have to be achieved in the layers of causation. So it very easy for the public to make determinations on social media of their interpretation of the relationships between vaccines and adverse outcomes, it is not as clear as that, there is a process for doing these things,” he stated.

At a town hall meeting last month, Senior Medical Officer of Health Dr Arthur Phillips disclosed that out of the over 180 000 doses administered in Barbados then,442 adverse reactions were reported. Of those, three were seen as being “moderate to severe and potentially being connected to the vaccine,” he added. (SD)