Tunisia announces to stop using J&J COVID-19 vaccine

TUNIS - Tunisian Health Ministry decided to suspend using the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine (Janssen), the official Tunis Afrique Presse reported on Monday.

The Health Minister Ali Mrabet said at a press conference on Monday that Tunisian government made this decision after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided to limit its use due to worrisome complications, including blood clots.

He added that the Health Ministry will ensure the necessary follow-up after an international alert launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) concerning the suspension of using Janssen vaccine.

He added that the ministry is making an inventory of the Janssen vaccine which will be destroyed thereafter.

The FDA's recommendation to restrict the use of Janssen was based on the results of a recent study that demonstrated this vaccine had caused blood clots in some people in several countries around the world.

Mrabet stressed that no such cases resulting from the use of Janssen were recorded in Tunisia.

About 1.3 million doses of Janssen have already been used in this country since the onset of COVID-19.

The Janssen vaccine was authorized for emergency use in the United States on Feb 27, 2021.