Denmark rejects Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

Denmark has decided not to use the COVID-19 vaccine made by US firm Johnson & Johnson, its health authority said on Monday.

The reason for the decision is fears that the jab, also known as Janssen, could lead to blood clots in rare cases.

“As the COVID-19 epidemic in Denmark is currently under control, and the vaccination rollout is progressing satisfactorily with other available vaccines, the Danish Health Authority has decided to continue the national vaccination campaign without the COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson,” a statement said.

The Danish Health Authority said it was following a European Medicines Agency (EMA) conclusion that there is a possible link to rare cases of blood clots.

For the same reason, Denmark had previously withdrawn the AstraZeneca vaccine from its programme.

Since only one dose of the Johnson & Johnson jab is needed, Denmark had ordered a particularly large quantity, according to the news agency Ritzau.

The director of the Danish health authority, Soren Brostrom, has pointed out that not using Johnson & Johnson could lead to healthy, young people between 20 and 40 having to wait a longer for their vaccination.

Authorities in the United States last month lifted a pause regarding the use of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine following a “thorough safety review” triggered by the reports of serious blot clots in a handful of instances.

Source: GNA