Although in general it is still a mystery, cases of acute hepatitis in various countries have been linked to adenovirus type 41. Since adenovirus is also one of the platforms for developing a COVID-19 vaccine, speculation has arisen. Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe?
Epidemiologist from Griffith University Australia, Dicky Budiman, explained that hepatitis can be triggered by various viruses. There are several types of viruses that cause hepatitis that can be prevented by vaccines, but not all of them are.
Meanwhile, related to speculation about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine, Dicky emphasized that there was no link between the adenovirus used for the COVID-19 vaccine and the mysterious hepatitis case that shocked the world.
“But there is also no evidence to link it, the emergence due to the COVID-19 vaccination, although there is one type of COVID vaccine that uses adenovirus,” explained Dicky.
This assertion is reinforced by the fact that most cases of mysterious hepatitis occur in children under the age of 5 years. Meanwhile, in many countries including Indonesia, ages 5 and under are among the groups that have not been able to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.
“This means that the vaccine is effective. That’s an important message,” he said.
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