[Thread] 1. #ZweliMkhize says there is no evidence that J&J is linked to blood clots. SA is pausing its roll-out as a precautionary measure to find out if there is something to be concerned about before we proceed.
2. Helen Rees (Sahpra's chair): Vaccine safety is always at the top of our list. In the case J&J, the nr of blood clot cases is very low: 6 cases out of almost 7 million vaccinated people in the US. We need to find out if the cases are accidental or linked to the jab.
3. Helen Rees: This process is called a causality assessment. It's normal to do with new jabs. Why? In trials, jabs are tested on 1000s of people. When you roll them out, millions of people get them. So there's a chance for side effects you didn't see in the trial to occur.
4. Helen Rees: Even if there's a causal link between blood clots + the J&J vaccine, we need to make a measured decision. If it’s a minute risk, we need look at the pros and cons and compare them.
5. Helen Rees: So if the risk of dying from #COVID outweighs the risk of an extremely rare side effect of a jab, it might well still be worthwhile using the jab. But Sahrpa will be honest and open about such a decision. We will evaluate all data.
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