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| Bottles of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Janssen Covid-19 vaccine await transfer into syringes for administering at a vaccine rollout targeting immigrants and the undocumented in Los Angeles, California on March 25, 2021. (Photo from AFP/Frederic Brown) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] MANILA — Vaccine experts in the Philippines are discussing reports of extremely rare blood clots that emerged in six recipients of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 jab in the United States, the country’s Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. PhilStar said that US health authorities recommended the pause on the rollout of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccines due to blood clot concerns.
The pharmaceutical firm announced it will delay the rollout of its jab in Europe. In a briefing, FDA Director-General Eric Domingo said local vaccine experts are discussing reported cases of a rare type of blood clot disorder. The agency is hoping to receive the experts’ recommendation on Thursday. “If their evaluation is done and they have recommendations, of course, we’ll also probably have recommendations on how to guide vaccinators and vaccines to watch out for such events and what they should do if they experience something,” Domingo said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in another briefing that vaccine manufacturers have the responsibility to report such incidents to the local drug regulator. “That will be part of the recommendation or evaluation of the FDA and our VEP — if such incidents indeed happen — on the EUA that Janssen is applying for,” Vergeire said in Filipino.
