Faizel Patel – 20/04/2021
The Johnson and Johnson vaccine rollout is back on, after the South African Health Products Regulatory (SAPRHA) Authority recommended that government lift the pause on the administering of the vaccine.
However, certain conditions have to be met before the rollout can continue.
Government suspended the rollout of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine after U.S. health agencies recommended pausing its use, because of rare cases of blood clots in six people inoculated with it.
Speaking to Radio Islam, Medical Research Council (SAMRC) president, Professor Glenda Gray says the vaccine rollout was paused because SAPRHA needed space to review the data.
“We are working closely with them. They want to be reassured that we have plans in place to monitor and detect any clotting disorder or people who want to be vaccinated, how we manage them. I think it’s important because if we rollout J&J in South Africa we need to have established systems and practices that can help anyone, not just healthcare workers who may present with this rare clotting disorder.”
Professor Gray says SAPRHA have very stringent standards in place before allowing medication to be used by South Africans.
“Their job is to protect the safety of people in South Africa. So obviously, if you are a regulator you have to be cautious just like the FDA (Federal Drug Agency) was cautious. So our country has a very cautious regulator, which is a good thing because they care about South Africans. It’s important that whatever product we put into the country, there are enough mechanisms in place to detect any adverse event that may happen because of this product.”
Professor Gray South Africa has not detect any of the rare clotting disorders that have been reported in the US.
Listen to the interview with Professor Glenda Gray
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