The United States gives the green light to resume vaccination with Johnson & Johnson

“The use of the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States should be resumed,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a joint statement. They believe the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.

Health authorities have announced that they have stopped using the vaccine, which was developed by the American pharmaceutical company to investigate many cases of women who have had severe blood clots (thrombosis) and a low platelet count (thrombocytopenia) after the injection.

According to data provided Friday, fifteen of the nearly four million vaccinated women developed dangerous blood clots and three died. The majority (13 out of 15) were under 50, and the other two were between 50 and 64 years old. There are no known cases in vaccinated men.

Some experts pointed to the benefits of the vaccine on Friday. Only one dose is needed and it can be refrigerated, making it easier to reach vulnerable groups. On the other hand, there is a very rare risk of developing a blood clot, which can have devastating neurological consequences, even if it is not fatal.

Although no association has been established with the vaccine, scientists consider the vaccine to be the “suspected cause” of this phenomenon, which has also been identified with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said Friday that a new study shows that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine increase with age and continue to outweigh the risks, such as blood clots.

Also in Europe, use of Johnson & Johnson has been discontinued due to potential side effects. But the EMA has also provided positive advice about this vaccine. It should be clear today whether Belgium will use the vaccine and with whom. The health ministers of our country are sitting together on this.