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Tag: vaccine

  • BioNTech to request approval of COVID-19 vaccine for children over 12

    BioNTech to request approval of COVID-19 vaccine for children over 12

    German vaccine manufacturer BioNTech is to request the authorisation of its COVID-19 vaccine for children from the age of 12 in the European Union, it announced on Thursday.

    The request would probably be filed in the next few days with the European Medicines Agency (EMA), a spokesperson told doa.

    The news magazine Der Spiegel had reported the request would be filed on Wednesday.

    “We have submitted the study data for those aged 12 to 15 for approval in the United States; in Europe we are in the last steps,” BioNTech chief, Ugur Sahin, said according to Der Spiegel.

    The approval process at EMA usually takes only a few weeks.

  • Nigeria to receive 29.8 million doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

    Nigeria to receive 29.8 million doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

    The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) says Nigeria will receive 29.8 million doses of Johnson and Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine.

    The NPHCDA Executive Director, Dr Faisal Shuaib made this public on Monday during the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja.

    “The Federal Government has signed off to receive up to 29.8 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines through the African Union platform,” he said.

    Shuaib said the country was also expecting deliveries of vaccines through the COVAX facility by the end of May or early June.

    ”By this time, the country would have completed the process of administering the second doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines already on ground.

    “Having received 3.94 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines in early March, Nigeria commenced vaccination beginning with healthcare workers,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the NPHCDA boss, said vaccination against COVID-19 was still ongoing in all states of the Federation.

    He said the country had vaccinated 1,175,285 eligible Nigerians as of April 26, adding that the figure represented 58.4 per cent of people eligible to receive the vaccines.

    “Our collaboration with health officials and other stakeholders at the national, state, LGA and community levels in the vaccination exercise has yielded substantial result,” the NPHCDA executive secretary said.

    Shauib said that the government was aware of the global scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines due to high demands.

    He said the scarcity would affect the remaining phases of the vaccination campaign in the country.

    “We are aware of the global scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines due to high demands especially in countries where vaccines are being produced.

    “We therefore anticipate a delay in vaccine supply to Nigeria which may also affect and impact the remaining phases of the vaccination campaign.,” he explained.

    The Federal Government plans to vaccinate 109 million people against COVID-19 virus over a period of two years.

    It reports that only eligible population from 18 years and above will be vaccinated in four phases.

    Meanwhile, the J&J COVID-19 single-dose vaccine is compatible with standard vaccine storage and distribution channels with ease of delivery to remote areas.

    The vaccine is estimated to remain stable for two years at -4°F (-20°C), and a maximum of three months at routine refrigeration temperatures of 36-46°F (2 to 8°C).

    The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration recently approved the suspension of administering the J&J vaccine over six reported U.S. cases of a “rare and severe” type of blood clot.

    According to a joint statement on Tuesday from Anne Schuchat, CDC Principal Deputy Director and Peter Marks, FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Director, the six cases occurred among women aged between 18 and 48, while symptoms occurred within six to 13 days after vaccination.

    The suspension was however lifted on the J&J COVID-19 vaccines after 10 days, but with a directive that a warning label should printed on it about the potential for extremely rare blood clots.

    The European regulators in April also linked similar, highly unusual blood clots to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 shot, but found the benefits of the drug outweighed any risks.

  • Malaria: We need to lockdown Nigeria for 2 days for fumigation – Ned Nwoko

    Malaria: We need to lockdown Nigeria for 2 days for fumigation – Ned Nwoko

    Billionaire Ned Nwoko during a walk to eradicate Malaria in Nigeria, on Saturday said there will be a need to lockdown Nigeria for two days to fumigate the entire Nigeria.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the Ned Nwoko Foundation in active concert with NAWOJ, Anderson Hallow mace, Nollywood and others had a walk in Abuja from 8.30 am through 10.400m tagged: Zero Malaria Draw The Line Against Malaria Walk With Ned.

    The Delta born Billionaire explained at the Unity Fountain to journalists that two companies have been commissioned to help fumigate the entire country but there must be a total lockdown for two days.

    He said: “We need to be highly hygienic, clean our environments to achieve positive results and for fumigation lockdown is necessary for two days”.

    The walk which lasted for over two hours ended at about 10.40am as Nwoko led Nollywood members, NAWOJ, and other groups during the walk in commemoration of Malaria Day.

    Watch Video Below:

    Meanwhile, scientists at Britain’s University of Oxford have developed a potential new malaria vaccine known as R21/Matrix-M.

    The new malaria vaccine has been proved to be highly effective in a trial conducted on babies in Africa.

    TNG reports the scientists were led by Adrian Hill, director of Oxford’s Jenner Institute, who is also one of the lead researchers behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

    According to the lead scientist, they now plan to conduct final stage trials in some 4,800 children aged between five months and three years in four African countries.

    “It is more effective than anything that has been reported on before. The World Health Organization wanted a 75 percent effective vaccine.

    “This is the first time anyone has gone above that level. Really importantly, it can be manufactured at a large scale. So far, the vaccine looks safe,” Hill told Al Jazeera.

    Hill said the vaccine can be kept refrigerated and does not require freezing, making it easier to distribute to remote areas.

  • BREAKING: U.S. resumes use of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

    BREAKING: U.S. resumes use of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

    The United States of America (USA) will resume use of the Johnson & Johnson Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have said.

    The announcement by the FDA and CDC followed a thorough safety review after blood clots were reported from the use of the vaccine, ending the recommended pause.

    “The FDA and CDC determined that the recommended pause regarding the use of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S. should be lifted and use of the vaccine should resume,” both agencies stated in a joint statement.

    Recall the pause was recommended after reports of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals following administration of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.

    During the pause, medical and scientific teams at the FDA and CDC examined available data to assess the risk of thrombosis involving the cerebral venous sinuses, or CVST (large blood vessels in the brain), and other sites in the body (including but not limited to the large blood vessels of the abdomen and the veins of the legs) along with thrombocytopenia, or low blood platelet counts.

    The teams at FDA and CDC also conducted extensive outreach to providers and clinicians to ensure they were made aware of the potential for these adverse events and could properly manage and recognize these events due to the unique treatment required for these blood clots and low platelets, also known as thrombosis-thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).

    Following the thorough safety review, the two agencies determined that the use of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine should be resumed in the United States and that the FDA and CDC have confidence that this vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19.

    “The FDA has determined that the available data show that the vaccine’s known and potential benefits outweigh its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age and older.

    “At this time, the available data suggest that the chance of TTS occurring is very low, but the FDA and CDC will remain vigilant in continuing to investigate this risk,” a statement by both agencies reads.

    Commenting on the development, Janet Woodcock, M.D., Acting FDA Commissioner said the recommended pause was an example of extensive safety monitoring.

    Woodcock further stated that the pause was lifted based on the FDA and CDC’s review of all available data and in consultation with medical experts and based on recommendations from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

    “Safety is our top priority. This pause was an example of our extensive safety monitoring working as they were designed to work—identifying even these small number of cases.

    “We’ve lifted the pause based on the FDA and CDC’s review of all available data and in consultation with medical experts and based on recommendations from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

    “We have concluded that the known and potential benefits of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine outweigh its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age and older. We are confident that this vaccine continues to meet our standards for safety, effectiveness and quality.

    “We recommend people with questions about which vaccine is right for them have those discussions with their health care provider,” the Acting FDA Commissioner said.

    Also commenting was CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, who said health and safety are at the forefront of the decision to lift the pause.

    The CDC Director further explained that as more Americans are vaccinated, all signals would be closely watched.

    “Above all else, health and safety are at the forefront of our decisions. Our vaccine safety systems are working. We identified exceptionally rare events – out of millions of doses of the Janssen COVID-19 administered – and we paused to examine them more carefully.

    “As we always do, we will continue to watch all signals closely as more Americans are vaccinated. I continue to be encouraged by the growing body of real-world evidence that the authorized COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and they protect people from disease, hospitalization, and death,” the CDC Director stated.

    TNG reports on April 13, the FDA and CDC announced that, out of more than 6.8 million doses administered, six reports of a rare and severe type of blood clot combined with low blood platelet levels occurring in people after receiving the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine had been reported to VAERS.

    In these cases, a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia).

    “Today, the agencies can confirm that a total of 15 cases of TTS have been reported to VAERS, including the original six reported cases. All of these cases occurred in women between the ages of 18 and 59, with a median age of 37 years. Reports indicated symptom onset between 6 and 15 days after vaccination,” the joint statement by FDA and CDC reads.

  • BREAKING: Lagos State Govt opens up on side effects of COVID-19 vaccine

    BREAKING: Lagos State Govt opens up on side effects of COVID-19 vaccine

    So far, following the administration of the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, few persons vaccinated experienced what is termed adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) or adverse event of special interest (AESI).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Lagos State Government made this known on Thursday in a statement by the State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi on the conclusion of the first half, phase one COVID-19 vaccination exercise.

    The Commissioner for Health, while announcing a date to commence the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination, listed the adverse events or side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine as pain at the injection site, fever or body pains lasting 24 to 48 hours and anaphylactic shock.

    “We are being extremely diligent for blood coagulation disorders in view of the prevailing international scientific attention to the possibility of increased risk of developing blood clotting disorders and two cases are being investigated.

    “It is important in the interest of scientific knowledge to be able to attribute any blood clotting problems directly to the administration of the vaccine.

    “The Lagos State Government has robust surveillance systems to effectively monitor and track untoward events and I would like to urge anyone who experiences any adverse events to call the number of the LGA Disease Surveillance Notification written in front of the vaccination card so that such cases can be thoroughly investigated and monitored.

    “We have learnt several lessons during this vaccination drive, and the challenges encountered will be addressed before the commencement of the administration of the second doses vaccination drive,” Prof Abayomi stated.

    He revealed that the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination will commence on the 28th of May 2021, and that the State had inoculated 257,756 persons as of the 15th of April 2021.

    He also stated that the first phase, which took an average of 20 days, had ended and that the remaining doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine have been reserved at the Lagos State Cold Chain Store for the second dose exercise.

    The statement by Prof Abayomi reads in full: “Lagos State has concluded the first half of phase one #COVID19 vaccination campaign – in line with the directive of @NphcdaNG. The exercise began on March 12.

    “The conclusion of the first phase, which took an average of 20 days, followed the Federal Government’s directive to stop vaccination once half of the consignment has been administered so that those who received the first dose will have an opportunity for the second dose.

    “This will ensure that at least 1% of Lagos residents receive the full complement of doses required to enable the protection the vaccine promises. The target to achieve effective herd immunity is vaccination of at least 60% of the Lagos State population.

    “The exercise lapsed on Tuesday 13th April 2021. Consequently, the Government has shut down all its vaccination centers.

    “Recall that Lagos State got 507,000 doses of the 3.92 Million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine facilitated through support from the COVAX facility to the @NigeriaGov

    “The Lagos State vaccination drive is managed by the Technical Working Group on the Vaccination Strategy as approved by the Governor, @jidesanwoolu, the Incident Commander. It is chaired by the Honorable Commissioner for Health @ProfAkinAbayomi.

    “Lagos State inoculated 257,756 persons, as of the 15th of April 2021, consisting of health workers, frontline workers including; security agents, ports of entry staff, Judiciary, petrol station workers, contingency workers and strategic leaders.

    “The Government went a step further to vaccinate willing pensioners, people aged 70 and above, teachers and journalists during the same period.

    “Lagos is the only State that has inoculated more than 200,000 residents during this period.

    “The remaining doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca #COVID19 vaccine have been reserved at the Lagos State Cold Chain Store for the second dose exercise, which will commence on the 28th of May, 2021, following the expiration of the 8-12 weeks interval as required by the manufacturers.

    “Residents are encouraged to check their vaccination cards for their next appointment dates and where possible to try to go to the same health facilities where they got their initial dose for their second dose.

    “There is no need for citizens who have received the first dose to pre-register before going to the health facility for the second dose because their already captured details will only be updated with additional information after vaccination.

    “The vaccines are due to expire on 9th July 2021. Our monitoring and evaluation quality assurance activity indicates that our cold chain distribution logistics has been maintained ensuring the integrity of the vaccines.

    “As previously stipulated and according to the strategy of the Federal Government through the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, the COVID-19 vaccinations will be in four phases.

    “Phase two will cover persons aged 50 years and above as well as those living with co-morbidities who are between 18-49 years of age.

    “Phase three will be activated thereafter for people in the Local Government Areas with the highest infections of the disease and those who missed phases one and two.

    “Phase four will cover other eligible populations as more vaccines become available.

    “The date of commencement of the Phase two vaccination will be announced by the Federal Government in due course.

    “Of the 257,756 persons inoculated as of the 15th of April 2021, 59,444 (23.1%) are health workers, 109,809 (42.6%) are essential workers and 88,503 (34.3%) are strategic leaders.

    “Our gender distribution data indicated that we have vaccinated more females than males; with 131,283 females representing 50.9% and 126,473 males representing 49.1% vaccinated as of April 15th, 2021.

    “According to our evaluation report, Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland, Ikeja, Kosofe, Alimosho and Surulere are the top six Local Government Areas with the highest number of persons vaccinated. 28,257 and 25,094 persons were vaccinated in Eti-Osa and Lagos Mainland.

    “In Ikeja LGA, we vaccinated 23,194 persons; in Kosofe LGA, 19,398 people received the COVID vaccine. For Alimosho and Surulere, 18,954 and 14,963 persons were vaccinated.

    “Apapa, Amuwo-Odofin, Badagry, Epe, and Ibeju-Lekki local governments have the least number of citizens vaccinated, with less than 8,000 persons vaccinated for each.

    “So far, following the administration of the first dose of the vaccine to 257,756 persons, just a few of the persons vaccinated experienced what is termed adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) or adverse event of special interest (AESI) characterised by pain at the injection site, fever or body pains lasting 24 to 48 hours and anaphylactic shock.

    “We are being extremely diligent for blood coagulation disorders in view of the prevailing international scientific attention to the possibility of increased risk of developing blood clotting disorders and two cases are being investigated.

    “It is important in the interest of scientific knowledge to be able to attribute any blood clotting problems directly to the administration of the vaccine.

    “The Lagos State Government has robust surveillance systems to effectively monitor and track untoward events and I would like to urge anyone who experiences any adverse events to call the number of the LGA Disease Surveillance Notification written in front of the vaccination card so that such cases can be thoroughly investigated and monitored.

    “We have learnt several lessons during this vaccination drive, and the challenges encountered will be addressed before the commencement of the administration of the second doses vaccination drive.

    “These includes: 1. The need to perfect the digital platform that would ensure scheduling of clients to prevent overcrowding at the facilities, which leads to opportunists taking advantage of chaos that may ensue.

    “2. Continuous active risk communication to manage the expectation of the residents, educate them as to the need to properly monitor adverse events and report them through the official channels.

    “We sincerely apologize to citizens that may have experienced any inconveniences during the first doses administration exercises. We pledge to try to manage the mammoth logistics more effectively moving forward.

    “It is important to reiterate that residents, including vaccinated persons, must continue to adhere to the measures proposed to curb the spread of the virus, i.e. wearing of face masks in public, social distancing, avoidance of crowded areas, frequent washing of hands and practice of good respiratory hygiene.

    “Lagos State is fully aware of the evolution and global circulation of #COVID19 virus mutant and variant strains that appear to be acquiring the ability to cause multiple waves characterized by more serious clinical outcomes in countries like India, Brazil and certain parts of Europe. Lagos State the consistent epicenter of Nigeria has come out of the second wave successfully, the government is not relaxing on its oars and is preparing assiduously for all eventualities.

    “Mr. Governor is committed to achieve herd immunity for its population through the vaccination exercise and Lagos State will work with the @NphcdaNG and other potential stakeholders to ensure a successful #COVID19 vaccination campaign that would ensure Lagos State is able to withstand or mitigate a 3rd wave.

    “In line with the Federal Government’s strategy of curbing the spread of the global pandemic and securing public health, Lagos State Government through its Technical Working Group on the Vaccination Strategy and @LagosPHCB carried out the vaccination of its residents under the supervision and strict protocols of the @NphcdaNG.

    “My profound appreciation goes to Mr. Governor @jidesanwoolu for his leadership role in this successful exercise.

    “I would also like to extend the @followlasg appreciation to our development partners for their support and technical assistance, and the Gentlemen of the Press for their roles in the exercise”.

  • 905m COVID-19 shots administered worldwide – Report

    905m COVID-19 shots administered worldwide – Report

    No fewer than 905 million COVID-19 shots have been administered worldwide, according to Our World in Data (OWID).

    The OWID, is a scientific online publication that focuses on large global problems such as poverty, disease, hunger, climate change and war.

    OWID, disclosed this on its official website handle on Tuesday.

    It added there was already a stark gap between vaccination programmes in different countries, with some yet to report a single dose.

    “Some countries do not provide data for the number of people who have been partially or fully vaccinated.

    “A vaccinated person refers to someone who has received at least one dose of a vaccine, and a fully vaccinated person has received all required doses of a vaccine,” it said.

    According to it, while vaccine doses remain relatively scarce globally, most countries have focused their early vaccination efforts on priority groups like the clinically vulnerable; people in their 60s, 70s and older; and front-line workers, like doctors and nurses.

    It stated that there was also a striking divide between continents. Africa had the slowest vaccination rate of any continent, with some countries yet to start mass vaccination campaigns.

    “Less wealthy countries are relying on a vaccine-sharing arrangement called Covax, which aims to provide two billion doses by the end of the year.

    “83 per cent of shots that have gone into arms worldwide have been administered in high- and upper-middle-income countries.

    “Only 0.2 per cent of doses have been administered in low-income countries,”
    It stated.

    It also stated that some countries may have started to administer doses, but have not yet reported data.

    It noted that countries with no reported vaccinations either have not started a widespread vaccination campaign or were not regularly reporting data on the number of doses administered.

    “Doses administered are plotted on a log scale. Most of the vaccines currently in use require two doses for a patient to be fully vaccinated.

    “In February the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorised a one-shot vaccine by pharmaceutical giant, Johnson & Johnson for emergency use in the United States.

    “Where each vaccine is being used Oxford-AstraZeneca129 countries, Pfizer-BioNTech 87 countries, Sinopharm-Beijing 29 countries, Gamaleya (Sputnik V) 26 countries, Sinopharm-Wuhan two countries, Johnson&Johnson two countries, Bharat Biotech (Covaxin), one country and Vector Institute (EpiVacCorona), one country.

    “Only countries that report doses administered are shown. Other countries may have approved vaccines but have not administered them yet,” OWID said.

    Nigeria has administered 1.09 million shots of the Astrazeneca.

  • Philippines lifts suspension on AstraZeneca vaccine for under 60

    Philippines lifts suspension on AstraZeneca vaccine for under 60

    The Philippines will resume administering AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to people below 60 years of age, ending a temporary suspension over reports of rare blood clots in younger recipients overseas, health officials said on Monday.

    “The benefit outweighs the risk. Only a small percentage of the population had these adverse effects for AstraZeneca,” Health Undersecretary, Maria Rosario Vergeire, told a regular news conference, referring to countries where blood clots were reported.

    Health authorities will release guidelines, including different precautions on the use of the AstraZeneca shots, Vergeire added.

    The European Medicines Agency had earlier recommended including blood clots as a rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

    The Southeast Asian nation is yet to record blood clots as side effect, but suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine for under 60s on April 8.

    The Philippines, a country of 108 million people, is battling one of the worst outbreaks in Asia but has administered less than 1.5 million shots of COVID-19 vaccines, 86 per cent of which were first doses.

    It has recorded 936,133 COVID-19 cases and 15,960 deaths due to the virus.

    The Philippines has received 525,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX international vaccine-share facility.

    More than 900,000 more were to be shipped in May or June, according to health ministry data.

    Vaccines from China’s Sinovac Biotech accounts for 83 per cent of doses so far delivered to the Philippines.

  • Pfizer/BioNTech confirm extra 100m vaccine doses to EU in 2021

    Pfizer/BioNTech confirm extra 100m vaccine doses to EU in 2021

    Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE announced on Monday they would supply an additional 100 million doses of COMIRNATY, the companies’ COVID-19 vaccine, to the 27 European Union member states in 2021.

    The agreement followed the European Commission’s decision to exercise its option to purchase an additional 100 million doses under its expanded advanced purchase agreement, signed on Feb. 17.

    This means the total number of doses to be delivered to the EU would be 600 million.

    COMIRNATY is to be produced in BioNTech’s and Pfizer’s manufacturing sites in Europe.

    The companies said they planned to deliver 250 million doses to the EU in the second quarter, a fourfold increase on the first quarter’s agreed quantity.

    Sean Marett, chief business and chief commercial officer of BioNTech, said, “The additional 100 million doses from this option exercise will further help to support the acceleration of the vaccination campaigns throughout the EU.

    “We now intend to deliver a total of 600 million doses to the EU this year, which covers two-thirds of the EU population and represents the largest cumulative supply agreement for COMIRNATY that we have agreed to date globally.

  • COVID-19: FG reaffirms commitment to vacinate all eligible Nigerians

    COVID-19: FG reaffirms commitment to vacinate all eligible Nigerians

    The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) on Friday reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to get every eligible Nigerian vaccinated against COVID-19.

    Mr Bawa Abba, National Supervisor for Adamawa COVID-19 Vaccination, NPHCDA, spoke in Yola, Adamawa, on the sideline of a three-day “Media Dialogue On Routine Immunisation, Post Polio Certification and COVID-19 Vaccination”.

    The meeting was organised by The Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with the UNICEF.

    According to Abba, while the FG is putting efforts to make COVID-19 vaccines available and ensure that Nigerians get vaccinated, no fewer than two million Nigerians have so far been vaccinated accross states and the Federal Capital Territory with the Astrazeneca vaccine.

    However, he noted that the official server of the NPHCDA may put the figure at 1,051, 096, as at Thursday April 15, 2021 but that the current number of eligible vaccinated persons with the facility have crossed two million.

    ”We have two sources of data. We have the call in-data which is data that we received at the facility level.

    “We have the one in the NPHCDA server. We are working on uploading the remaining data from the facility levels.

    “These are raw data from the field that has not been processed. The difference is currently being processed,” he said.

    He further disclosed that states that have covered 50 per cent of their populations have been directed to halt vaccination (stop) at the moment.

    “This is to ensure vaccine availability for those who are required to take the second dose of the Astrazeneca vaccine, also adding that, government was currently giving priority to intending pilgrims,” he said.

    According to him, without receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, an intending pilgrim will not be allowed to go for pilgrimage.

    “And if you are given a brand of vaccine that we don’t have in Nigeria, it might really be a problem when you come to Nigeria.”

    Abba also noted that whenever the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine comes into the country, it would complement the AstraZeneca vaccine.

    On the suspension of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by the U.S. Abba said that there were always side effects which varied from person to person for every vaccine or drug administered on people.

    He said that from NPHCDC observation so far, the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine, had picked up in spite initial hesitance to the vaccine by members of the public.

  • BREAKING: U.S. calls for immediate halt of COVID-19 vaccine use

    BREAKING: U.S. calls for immediate halt of COVID-19 vaccine use

    The United States of America (USA) has called for an immediate halt of the use of a Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made the call on Tuesday.

    Both the FDA and CDC in a joint statement called for a temporary suspension of the use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

    FDA and CDC discovered six cases in the United States of a rare and severe type of blood clot that developed about two weeks after the vaccine was administered in these patients.

    The joint statement issued on Tuesday by CDC and FDA reads: “As of April 12, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine have been administered in the U.S.

    “CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine.

    “In these cases, a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia).

    “All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination.

    “Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered. Usually, an anticoagulant drug called heparin is used to treat blood clots. In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given.

    “CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance.

    “FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases. Until that process is complete, we are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution.

    “This is important, in part, to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot.

    “Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare. COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously”.