SA pauses J&J vaccine rollout over clotting concerns
South Africa has temporarily put the brakes on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout out amid concerns about the adverse reaction of a handful of patients abroad.
The United States reported a total of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the vaccine.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), one US patient died from blood clotting complications while another is in critical condition.
The six affected women, aged between 18 to 48, are among a population of 6.8 million to have received the jab to date.
SA has so far administered the jab to almost 290 000 healthcare workers.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Tuesday that the decision to temporarily suspend SA's vaccine programme is informed by the US developments.
"Having said that, after this advisory came to my attention, I held urgent consultations with our scientists, who have advised that we cannot take the decision made by the FDA lightly.
"Based on their advice, we have determined to voluntarily suspend our rollout until the causal relationship between the development of clots and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is sufficiently interrogated."
ALSO READ:
Mkize moved to allay fears that the moratorium would compromise the country's vaccination programme.
"I humbly call for calm and patience as we ensure that we continue to be properly guided by science in ensuring the safety of our people as we rollout the vaccine campaign. We hope that the deliberations will only take a few days," he added.
"Given the preliminary literature on hand, our scientists are confident that the FDA’s decision is on a precautionary basis and we expect that this will not result in the complete withdrawal of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from the vaccination armament."
High level talks among local health authorities are expected to continue on Wednesday.
"We therefore urge South Africans to be supportive of our experts and scientists as they work under enormous pressure to give us answers on this worrying development so that we may proceed safely with the global vaccination programme," Mkhize pleaded.
He further confirmed had not reported any cases of clotting since the phase 3B clinical trial began in February.
Listen to Zweli Mkhize below: