Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of (a) adverse events and (b) rare side effects reported after receiving a covid-19 vaccine.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is responsible for monitoring all authorised medicines and vaccines in the United Kingdom, including COVID-19 vaccines, on an ongoing basis, to ensure their benefits continue to outweigh any risks. This monitoring strategy is continuous, proactive, and based on a wide range of information sources, including reports of adverse events and rare side effects. A dedicated team of assessors reviews this information on a weekly basis to look for safety issues or unexpected, rare events.

The robust safety monitoring and surveillance of any COVID-19 vaccines used in the UK includes timely communication on any updated safety advice when needed. Additionally, monthly updates of Adverse Drug Reaction data continue with the new interactive COVID-19 vaccine reports, with further information available at the following link:

https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/idaps