Several Countries Ban J&J’s COVID-19 Vaccine

The US, EU, and South Africa have decided to suspend the use of Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) Coronavirus vaccine as a precautionary measure after many recipients in the US suffered rare blood clots in the days that followed.

According to details, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that 6 out of 6.8 million people; all women aged between 18 and 48; developed Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (CVST); a rare type of blood clotting in the brain, within 6 to 13 days after receiving the J&J vaccine.

One of the six patients succumbed to death due to blood clotting complications and another is in a critical state while the remaining are in stable condition.

Chief Medical Advisor to the US President, Dr. Anthony Fauci; has said that “it is too early to comment on revoking J&J’s regulatory approval until further investigations into the vaccine’s safety are completed.”

FDA Approval on J&J’s Vaccine

Note that the FDA had granted regulatory approval to J&J’s COVID-19 on 27 February.

South Africa was the first country to administer J&J’s vaccine on 17 February. Although South Africa has reported no cases of blood clots from J&J’s vaccine; it has also paused its use as a precautionary step in light of the FDA’s statement.

Meanwhile, J&J had only started delivering its doses in the EU this week; which has now been stopped by the company itself. None of the J&J’s doses were administered anywhere in the EU.

As for the UK, J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine has not yet received regulatory approval there; although 30 million doses have been pre-ordered.

J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine became the most sought-after vaccine after several studies confirmed that it offered the highest protection against the South African strain of Coronavirus.

On the other hand, the New Jersey-based company has issued an official statement in this regard; stating that J&J had shared all adverse event reports with concerned authorities.

Although the company is aware of the CVST events which were reported in six recipients of its vaccine; there is insufficient data to claim that these events were caused by the J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine, Janssen, the statement added.