The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) confirmed Thursday that one person died as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela, CEO of SAHPRA, said this was the first death in a country to have a causal link between an individual and Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine. .
To date, health officials have assessed about 160 people who “may have died” after being jabbed, according to Semete Makottrera, who so far has found no positive association with vaccination. Stated.
Shortly after receiving the J&J injection, the patient developed Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). This is a rare neurological disorder that has been identified as a possible side effect of jab.
“This is a very rare occurrence,” said Hannelly Meyer, a professor at the South African newspaper’s National Immunization Safety Board. The Daily Maverick reported“The person developed symptoms shortly after vaccination, which led to prolonged hospitalization, ventilators, and further infections.”
“At the time of illness, no other cause of Guillain-Barre syndrome could be identified,” she further declared.
GBS occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks its own nerves, usually causing numbness, weakness, pain in the limbs, and sometimes even paralysis of breathing.
Meyer said the patient’s age and other personal information, including the state in which the death occurred, will not be disclosed for confidentiality reasons.
Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added a warning label to J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine and revised its factsheet to “include information on the observed increased risk” of GBS after vaccination. an FDA spokesperson said. Epoch Times on July 12, 2021.
The decision was made “based on an analysis of Vaccine Adverse Event Reports (VAERS) data” and found that “there were 100 preliminary reports after receiving the Janssen vaccine after approximately 12.5 million doses.” A spokesperson said: At the time, reports of GBS cases in vaccinated people had recorded 95 severe cases and one death.
According to the FDA, available data suggest an association between the J&J vaccine and an increased risk of GBS, but this is “insufficient to establish a causal link.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told The Epoch Times that “an estimated 3,000 to 6,000 people” in the United States develop GBS each year, adding that federal health agencies monitor GBS reports. .
“It’s usually caused by a respiratory or gastrointestinal infection,” a spokesperson said, adding that “most people recover completely from GBS.”
South Africa’s Health Minister Joe Faala said at a press conference on Thursday that as of mid-July, of the more than 37 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in South Africa, more than 6,200 “adverse events” had been identified by SAHPRA. said to have been reported to Equivalent to 0.017%.
Semete Makokotorella said the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks.
Meanwhile, 217 deaths were reported to South African health regulators between May 2021 and July 2022, with allegations that they were linked to the COVID-19 vaccine, Daily Maverick said. Reported citing SAHPRA statistics.
Of these cases, 33 are under investigation, while about 150 others have been reported as ‘accidental’ deaths. Two others were found to have died from complications of post-vaccination breakthrough infections. In other 30 cases, a lack of information precluded proper investigation.
South Africa primarily uses J&J and Pfizer shots in its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, according to the federal government. websiteAbout 32% of the population is now fully vaccinated.
Reuters contributed to this report.
from NTD News
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