By: Natasha Archary
South Africa reports the first death which has been linked to the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Covid-19 vaccine.
The information was relayed by Health Minister, Joe Phaahla, who addressed a media conference on Thursday, 04 August.
Johnson & Johnson have yet to respond to the claims.
As reported by Reuters, the person was diagnosed with the rare neurological disorder, Guillain-Barre Syndrome soon after receiving the J&J vaccine.
The patient was put on a ventilator and subsequently died.
Age and personal information about the deceased have been protected for confidentiality.
According to Phaahla, over 6 200 adverse events from the J&J vaccine had been reported from mid-July.
This information was supposedly reported to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA).
Chief Executive of SAHPRA, Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela said the benefit of the vaccine still outweighs the risk.
“Out of almost 9 million doses of the J&J vaccine that was administered, only one casually linked death has come out.”
SA reports first death linked to J&J Covid-19 vaccine
SAHPRA says 160 deaths in the country had been assessed since the vaccine rollout programme commenced last year, and this has been the only case linked to the vaccine.
South Africa administered both the J&J and Pfizer vaccines to approximately 46% of adults in the country.
This means, roughly 40 million South Africans have received the Covid-19 vaccines.
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