Johnson and Johnson vaccine: South Africa, US press pause for di use of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine

Afta US federal authorities make di announcement to march brake ontop di use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, di South African goment and European Union too don follow di same road.

On Tuesday South Africa Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announce say dem don suspend di use of di vaccine until di investigation wey US dey do on am get head.

Dr Mkhize say dis na because dem wan dey careful.

Di African kontri be don abandon dia use of di 1 million doses of di AstraZeneca vaccine wey dem first buy after dem torchlight say e no dey strong against di variant of di virus dem get.

South Africa later sell all dia Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to di African Union.

E no clear which vaccine South Africa go continue dia vaccination program with now.

Dis one dey come afta US health authorities don press pause for di use of di Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, after reports of blood clotting cases wey no too common.

Di Food and Drug Administration (FDA) say six cases inside 6.8 million doses don dey reported and dem dey act "out of an abundance of caution".

All of di six cases na women between di age of 18 and 48 wit symptoms wey show six to 13 days afta vaccination.

Meanwhile Johnson & Johnson also say dem dey delay vaccine rollout for Europe.

Di US move dey come afta similar rare cases happun wit di AstraZeneca vaccine, wey make some kontris stop di use.

Di US get more confamed cases of Covid-19 - more dan 31 million - wit more than 562,000 deaths, another world high.

America approve di use of Johnson & Johnson jab on 27 February and dem no use am reach di Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna dose.

Wetin be di recommendation?

For inside joint statement, di FDA and di Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say dem dey "study di data of di six reported cases for US of a rare and severe type of blood clot for individuals afta dem collect di J&J vaccine".

Dem say di clotting na cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST).

Di statement say dis kain blood clot need a different treatment than usual.

Di common treatment for dis kain sickness - wey be anticoagulant drug wey dem dey call heparin - "fit dey dangerous", e tok.

Pending a further review, di FDA and CDC recommend make dem pause di use of di vaccine so dem go fit dey on a safe side.

Dis na to "make sure say di health care provider community dey aware of wetin dey happun".

All six cases na for women wey dey between di 18 and 48, and dem begin see di symptoms six to 13 days afta vaccination.

Di New York Times quote officials wey say one woman don die and anoda one dey for critical condition for Nebraska.

Di joint statement tok say "pipo wey receive di J&J vaccine and develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks afta vaccination, make dem contact their health care provider".

Di federal government dey likely to pause di use of di vaccine for all federally run vaccination sites, and go expect state sites to do di same.

Johnson & Johnson statement

Johnson & Johnson, one US health care company, don issue statement say safety na dia "number one priority" and say dem share "all adverse event reports" wit health authorities.

E add join say: "We dey aware say thromboembolic events including those wit thrombocytopenia don dey reported wit Covid-19 vaccines. For now, no clear causal relationship don dey established between dis rare events and di Janssen (J&J) Covid-19 vaccine."

Di health care company also say dem dey review cases wit European health authorities.

"We bin decision to proactively delay di rollout of our vaccine for Europe," e tok.

What about di vaccine safety concerns for Africa?

Some African kontris don receive di Johnson & Johnson vaccine, di AstraZeneca vaccine, Sputnik vaccine and don begin vaccinate citizens. However, di WHO don advise African nations to continue to dey use di AstraZeneca vaccine, wey make up di majority of doses wey dey supplied under di Covax scheme."Based on current information, WHO reason say di benefits pass di risks and make kontris for Africa continue to dey vaccinate pipo wit di AstraZeneca vaccine."Dem neva tok about di Johnson and Johnson vaccine wey America pause di use sake of rare blood clotting cases dem discover.

A few African kontris don stop di rollout of di AstraZeneca vaccine as precaution.

However, di WHO tell BBC say for now, only Chad and Zimbabwe don tok say dem no go use di vaccine.

DR Congo, wey bin stop di vaccine rollout, don begin distribute di AstraZeneca jab again.