FDA Suspends Johnson&Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine

South African Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize has announced that the country would temporarily halt its Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine rollout. This follows the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) temporary suspension of the vaccine in the United States after six recipients developed a rare blood-clotting disorder. According to The New York Times, all six recipients were women aged between 18 and 48, and each of them developed the illness within one to three weeks of vaccination. “We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” says Dr Peter Marks,  FDA Director for Biologics Evaluation and Research. As it stands, no South African recipients have reported experiencing blood clots following the vaccine. However, Mkhize says that they will ...