EU REGULATOR BACKS JOHNSON&JOHNSON JAB DESPITE BLOOD CLOT LINK

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Tuesday that the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine outweigh risks despite finding a possible link to very rare cases of blood clots, Leonie Kijewski reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

The EMA investigated a link between potentially deadly blood clots and the vaccine following eight cases in the United States, of which one was fatal.

On Tuesday, the EMA's safety committee said a warning should be added to the product information about the "very rare side effects" and health care professionals should inform their patients about the symptoms.

All of the reported cases occurred in combination with low levels of blood platelets. They happened mostly in women under 60 years within the first three weeks after the vaccination.

"This is a very rare effect, but it also makes it very important for doctors and patients to be aware of the sign so that they can spot any concerns and seek specialist help as soon as possible," EMA director Emer Cooke said at a press conference.

"Early intervention by specialists can change the outcome," she said. Symptoms include blurred vision, headaches, shortness of breath, and chest pain, for example.

US authorities suspended the use of the vaccine last week after some 7 million people there had received the jab. US company Johnson & Johnson halted the shipment of its jabs to countries in the European Union while awaiting clarification on the matter.

However, the EMA generally stood by its previous assessment, reiterating that the benefits of the jab in preventing COVID-19 outweighed the risk of side effects. "The reported combination of blood clots and low blood platelets is very rare, and the overall benefits of COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen in preventing COVID-19 outweigh the risks of side effects," the EMA said in a statement on Tuesday.

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