Johannesburg [South Africa], April 14 (ANI): South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Tuesday said that the country will be suspending the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after health concerns raised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“We have determined to voluntarily suspend our rollout until the causal relationship between the development of clots and the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is sufficiently interrogated,” Mkhize said in a statement.
“In the extremely unlikely event that Johnson and Johnson rollout is completely halted, we will not have any impediment to proceed with phase two of the rollout with Pfizer,” he added.
This comes after the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FDA recommended a “pause” in the use of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine “out of an abundance of caution” over six reported cases in the US of a “rare and severe” type of blood clot.
In a joint statement, the CDC and the FDA said they were investigating clots in six women in the days after vaccination, in combination with reduced platelet count. The six reported cases were among more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered in the United States.
All six cases occurred among women ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination, according to Dr Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC and Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA‘s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
“CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance,” the statement said.
“FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases. Until that process is complete, we are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution. This is important, in part, to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot,” it added.
On February 27, The FDA issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
As of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa is 15,59,960 while the total number of deaths is 53,423.
Canada will not ‘hesitate’ to change AstraZeneca vaccine licensing if more issues emerge
Canadian health regulators will not hesitate to change the terms of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine license if additional safety issues emerge, Health Minister Patty Hajdu said.
Hajdu was grilled by the official opposition’s health critic, Michelle Rempel Garner, about Canada’s first reported case of blood clotting following inoculation with the AstraZenaca vaccine.
“All vaccines approved for use in Canada undergo routine and scrutinous attention. All adverse effects are reported through Health Canada and Health Canada monitors that data closely and will not hesitate to change its licensing for use in Canada should there be any risk to Canadians,” Hajdu said during a Question Period session on Tuesday.
The first reported case of blood clotting will be included in Health Canada’s study of the link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and the deadly side effect, the federal department said in a statement earlier on Tuesday.
Health Canada has paused inoculating Canadians under the age of 55 with the AstraZeneca vaccine following a recommendation from Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunizations (NACI).
Canadian health regulators have also issued a disclaimer regarding blood clots that may potentially form in individuals who receive an AstraZeneca shot, but have not officially listed it as an official side effect.
Concerns about vaccine side effects began in mid-March, following dozens of reports of blood clotting after inoculations, prompting several nearly 20 countries to halt the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine. (ANI/Sputnik)
