The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) said on Wednesday that fears of receiving a Covid-19 jab could be tied to knowledge gaps and misinformation, assuring citizens that the Regulator will never authorise any vaccine that is not safe.

SAHPRA pharmacovigilance manager Mafora Matlala said it has been highlighted that 80% of vaccinated people think they have a good understanding of how vaccines work.

The study that has been undertaken by a local university showed that vaccine acceptance is higher among people who say they know a lot about Covid-19 vaccines.

While 34% of people were found to be scared of possible side effects and 36% admitted to not understanding how vaccines work and also feared side effects including infertility and blood clots.

Almost 16-million South Africans have been vaccinated to date.

Matlala assured citizens that the Regulator will continue to monitor and inform health professionals and the public of the up-to-date safety profiles of Covid-19 vaccines, highlighting that SAHPRA is tasked with monitoring, evaluating, investigating, inspecting and registering all health products.

She added that it is SAHPRA’s responsibility to ensure the safety, efficacy and quality of all medicines, further noting that monitoring the safety of Covid-19 vaccines and communicating any risks is a critical priority for SAHPRA.

She also highlighted that serious adverse events following immunisations (AEFIs) are extremely rare for the Covid-19 vaccines based on currently available evidence.

Most of these AEFIs received are non-serious and mild, such as headache, pain, and redness at the injection site, fever and chills.

National Immunisation Safety Expert Committee Professor Hannelie Meyer said it is impossible to place a microchip inside a person’s body when getting vaccinated, adding that all vaccines components have been shown to be safe.

Meyer emphasised that SAHPRA will never authorise any vaccine that is not safe or if they do not know what the ingredients are.