As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices reported that vaccination against the novel coronavirus with the single-dose Janssen vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) will continue as it has been in Croatia, because so far no reports of fatalities have been recorded in the country, while the benefits significantly outweigh any side effects.
A death report is currently being assessed in neighbouring Slovenia to determine whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship with the vaccine used, which hasn’t yet been determined or confirmed.
HALMED states that no report of a suspected side effect with a fatal outcome for the Janssen vaccine has been received in the Republic of Croatia, and the most common side effects are mild to moderate, as they are with all of the vaccines produced so far.
A total of 144 reports of suspected side effects were received on a total of 93,240 doses of the Janssen vaccine in Croatia by the 29th of September, 2021.
The most commonly reported adverse reactions were mild to moderate in duration and lasted for several days and included a mild fever, headache, chills, muscle aches, pain at the injection site, fatigue, general weakness, weakness, back pain and limb pain. All of these are relatively common for all of the current coronavirus vaccines available, and pass quickly, sometimes in a matter of hours.
According to data collected from the European side effect database, EudraVigilance, about 15 million doses of the Janssen vaccine were received by people across the EU by the 30th of September, and they received 68 reports of suspected blood clot side effects combined with low platelet counts, of which 16 sadly came with a fatal outcome.
Blood clots are a very rare but possible side effect
The syndrome was identified by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) back in April this year as a very rare possible side effect of the vaccine and was included in the information on the product, according to HALMED.
They concluded that the benefit-risk balance of the Janssen vaccine remains unchanged and the benefits of being vaccinated with it to prevent the contraction of a more severe clinical picture of COVID-19 significantly outweighs the risk of possible side effects.
HALMED stated that all of the currently available vaccines are highly effective in protecting against the disease for which they are intended, as well as in preventing hospitalisations and deaths.
They note that HALMED and EMA will continue to monitor the safety of the Janssen vaccine in Croatia and elsewhere, as well as all other vaccines against novel virus, and will inform the public in a timely manner of any new findings.
It’s worth noting that the Janssen vaccine, produced by Johnson & Johnson, is given in only one dose, making it a popular choice among many.
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