Tunisia will stop using the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine (Janssen), the official Tunis Afrique Presse reported on Friday, citing a member of the country's scientific committee for fighting COVID-19, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
Riad Daghfous, the expert, was quoted as saying that Tunisian health authorities will avoid using Janssen after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided to limit its use due to worrisome complications, including blood clotting.
The FDA's recommendation to restrict the use of Janssen, he said, 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.
So far, no such cases resulting from the use of Janssen were recorded in Tunisia, Daghfous added.
According to the expert, 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.