The recent decision by US authorities to limit the use of Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) coronavirus vaccine over concerns about a rare blood-clotting disorder will fuel hesitancy about its use in other parts of the world and may jeopardise SA’s vaccine manufacturing ambitions, Medical Research Council president Glenda Gray warned on Monday.  

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Friday that people should get immunised with mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer or Moderna instead of J&J’s shot, unless they had medical reasons not to, did not want an mRNA jab, or mRNA shots were not available. Citing data previously flagged by other US authorities, the FDA said the risks of the J&J shot outweighed the benefits for adults who could get an alternative...

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