KUALA LUMPUR: The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) has confirmed receiving reports of 18 cases of serious adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) among Covid-19 vaccine recipients under the Kajang Prison Vaccination Programme.

       Responding to a letter that went viral on social media, NPRA director-general Dr Roshayati Mohamad Sani said the AEFI report was classified as serious as it involved fatalities that are under investigation.

       “Investigations are also being carried out by the Hulu Langat District Health Office and the Selangor State Health Department to get detailed information,” she said in a statement yesterday.

       “The investigation report will be presented for evaluation by the Covid-19 Vaccine Special Pharmacovigilance Committee to confirm the causality or relation between the vaccine and the reported cases of adverse effects,” she said in a Bernama report.

       She said the Health Ministry, through NPRA, was continuously monitoring the safety of all vaccines, including the Covid-19 vaccines through AEFI reports.

       The ministry will inform the public on the current status of these reports from time to time, she added.