The Canary Islands Health Department have recorded 172 cases of severe side effects following COVID-19 vaccination, just 0.01% of the total vaccinated population, according to data provided by the Canary Islands Pharmacovigilance Centre, in response to a query from ASG politician Melodie Mendoza over the new vaccination campaign.
As of September 13th, 2024, health authorities had administered 4,356,135 doses to 1,720,085 people, and the report, disclosed by the Canary Islands Health Department, categorises these side effects as "very rare."
The region’s pharmacovigilance system relies on voluntary reporting by healthcare providers and considers a timeframe of zero to 42 days post-vaccination for tracking.
However, the system does not establish a direct causal relationship, which would require in-depth investigation on a case-by-case basis, emphasised the Health Department.
The most common side effect reported was thrombosis or thrombophlebitis, with 24 cases. Other noted adverse effects included tachycardia and Guillain-Barré syndrome, each with eight cases reported.
The Health Department also highlighted that some cases presented beyond 20 days after vaccination, necessitating thorough investigations to determine causality beyond temporal correlation.
These findings highlight the importance of continued pharmacovigilance as the Canary Islands embark on their fourth-dose COVID-19 vaccination campaign, alongside the annual flu jab campaign.
