SOUTH Africa has decided to temporarily suspend the rollout of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, its health minister said on Tuesday, after U.S. federal health agencies recommended pausing its use because of rare cases of blood clots in six people inoculated with it.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told a media briefing that in South Africa there had not been reports of such clots after vaccination with J&J’s vaccine.
He added the country had secured an additional 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from Pfizer.
“We have noted the decision taken by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States of America to advise the temporary suspension of the John & Johnson vaccine rollout in the US,” said Mkhize.
“This has occurred to due reports of 6 females who developed unusual blood clots with low platelets. These incidents occurred between 6 and 13 days after vaccination in women between the ages of 18 and 48 years old. It must be noted that over 6.6 million citizens have been inoculated with Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the US.”
“In South Africa, we have not had any reports of clots that have formed after vaccination, and this is after having inoculated 289 787 health care workers under the Sisonke Protocol.”
The disorder appears similar to that observed in rare cases of people who were vaccinated using the AstraZeneca jab.
On Monday, J&J said in a statement it was aware of the reports of blood clots, but that no link to its vaccine had been established.
The company also said it is delaying the rollout of its vaccine in Europe as a precaution.
There is not yet a clear explanation for the clots, but one leading theory is that a component of the vaccine — it isn’t certain which one — triggers an immune reaction.
Investigations of the cases after use of the AstraZeneca and Oxford vaccine showed that people developed antibodies that bind to platelets, causing them to be activated and cleared in some people, while also promoting clotting.
A similar reaction has been documented to the drug heparin.
- Inside Politics and Agencies.
