OTTAWA -- Health Canada has updated the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine product label to include the 鈥渧ery rare鈥 side effect of thrombosis, or blood clotting, following vaccination.
However, after conducting a thorough review alongside the manufacturer and other international regulators, Canada鈥檚 regulatory body has determined that the benefits of the one-shot vaccine outweigh the risks of .
鈥淐ases of rare blood clotting events reported in the U.S. after immunization with the #Janssen vaccine are similar to those reported after the #AstraZeneca vaccine, which Health Canada has communicated about recently,鈥 reads a published Monday.
鈥淎s a result, the Janssen product label has been updated to inform Canadians about the signs and symptoms of possible side effects, and when to seek prompt medical attention after vaccination.鈥
Canada is set to receive about 300,000 doses of the J&J vaccine this week, its first batch of a total of 10 million doses procured. Health Canada has approved its use in Canadians 18 years and older.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had paused the use of the vaccine for almost two weeks after several reports of blood clots. Last Friday that suspension was .
In late March, Health Canada also changed the product label for AstraZenca, noting similar instances of rare blood clots.
As of last week, more than 700,000 people have received a dose of AstraZeneca. In total five people have been diagnosed with blood clots linked to the vaccine.
麻豆影视 Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Abdu Sharkawy told 麻豆影视 Channel鈥檚 Power Play on Monday that one has to balance reality with transparency when considering the risk.
鈥淲e have to be honest that there is an attributable risk, that seems to be a little bit higher 鈥 certainly much higher 鈥 in a subset of women in particular under the age of 50, but if we鈥檙e talking about a pandemic that is raging out of control and in many places, the same people of the same age may not have a choice to wait for one vaccine over the other, you鈥檝e got to do what鈥檚 best for you,鈥 he said.
鈥淣o question about it, it鈥檚 a safe vaccine.鈥
With a file from 麻豆影视' Ross Andersen.
