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The Ministry of Health today launched a mobile phone-based survey to help it monitor reactions to the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.
There is already a system for reporting reactions to any vaccine or medicine, which can be submitted by both patients and their healthcare professionals through the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM).
The new Post Vaccine Symptom Check is a proactive way to increase data collection about reactions to the vaccine.
Up to 10 percent of those who receive a dose will be randomly selected to participate in the survey.
A text message will be sent from the Ministry of Health six days after each dose of the vaccine and 43 days after the second dose, to ask whether you had any reactions to the vaccine. The first texts will be sent in the coming days.
Participants can reply to the message for free by texting ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘stop’ to opt-out.
If the reply is YES, a unique URL will be sent via text, linking to a survey where participants are asked to provide more details about their reactions.
The Ministry is asking everyone who receives a text message to participate, even if they haven’t had a reaction.
If you don’t receive a text, you can report any reactions to the Pfizer vaccine through the CARM website or by calling Healthline, even if they are mild.
The Post Vaccine Symptom Check will run daily for the remainder of the Covid-19 immunisation programme.
Data collected will be grouped and anonymously displayed on the Medsafe website once there is enough data to report, likely by late September.
Responses to the survey are being captured for data collection purposes only and individual cases will not be followed up on by CARM.
It does not replace advice from a healthcare professional.
The Ministry spokesperson says most side effects of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine are mild and don’t last long, however, if you feel unwell after your vaccination, seek advice from your healthcare professional or call Healthline.
