Mkhize: Risks of no inoculation far outweighs that of J&J vaccine
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has given an assurance that additional measures have been put in place to ensure all healthcare workers are aware of the potential risks.
Mkhize has confirmed that the country will resume the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Wednesday.
The use of the vaccines was suspended earlier this month following a similar decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States.
The reason for the suspension, given by both the FDA and Mkhize, was to give authorities a chance to re-evaluate a possible causal link between the vaccine and six cases in America where women developed blood clots in the brain, coupled with low platelets.
Mkhize says the department is working closely with the South African Medical Research Council and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) to monitor the programme.
“The South African Medical Research Council and the Department of Health worked very closely with Sahpra and various ethics committees to ensure that there is intensified pre-vaccination assessment and post-vaccination monitoring when the rollout is resumed.
“Sahpra has also added a requirement that all Sisonke participants need to be informed of this potential risk and therefore consent to participating in the trial with this knowledge.
“As such, we need to inform healthcare workers participating in the Sisonke Protocol that, upon registration, they will receive a welcome SMS which will direct them to give consent to participate in the programme.”
He added that Sahpra has recommended that pregnant and lactating women be excluded from the programme at this stage.
“The Medical Research Council, along with other academic and scientific bodies, will engage Sahpra on this recommendation and we hope that, whilst Sahpra may have elected to err on the side of caution, the scientists will be able to make the case for pregnant and lactating women to receive the vaccine.”
He emphasised that the safety of the vaccine outweighs the risks of not being inoculated.
“I wish to reassure you all, fellow South Africans, that it is much better to have the vaccine than to avoid taking it for fear of getting a blood clot. In fact, there are many times more cases of blood clots related to the coronavirus itself than the one in a million chance of getting a blood clot from the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
“In America about 7 million people have now received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and are protected from Covid-19. Let us remember that Johnson and Johnson is currently the best vaccine against the 501Y.V2 variant, which is dominant in this country.”
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