The US, South Africa and European Union have temporarily halted the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 rollout jab, after reports of rare blood clotting.
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a report, six cases were detected in more than 6.8 million doses of the vaccine rollout which started this week.
The FDA said it was recommending the temporary pause out of an abundance of caution. It confirmed that one patient in the US died from blood clotting complications, and another is in a critical condition.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will hold an advisory meeting on Wednesday to review the cases.
The New York Times in a report said that all the six recipients were women between the ages of 18 and 48. One woman died and a second in Nebraska has been hospitalized in critical condition, the New York Times reported.
Meanwhile in South Africa Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced the suspension of the jab following possible cases of blood clotting.
“We have determined to voluntarily suspend our rollout until the causal relationship between the development of clots and the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is sufficiently interrogated,” said Mkhize.
Mkhize further said, the suspension will not last long as the Health Ministry expects to continue the COVID vaccination drive.
It follows similar cases after doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which prompted curbs to its use.