Use of single-dose J&J COVID-19 vaccine begins in European Union

European Union member states on Thursday started administering Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine after backing by Europe’s drug regulator, earlier this week.

This green flag comes just days after EMA announced a possible link to a rare blood clotting disorder. As with the AstraZeneca vaccine, several EU countries are expected to impose age restrictions.

Some Spanish regions like Galicia and Navarre began using Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine to inoculate 70-79 year-olds on Thursday.

Spain has already distributed the first batch of vials to regional health authorities, which are in charge of administering the injections.

An initial shipment of 146,000 doses of the single-shot drug landed in Spain last week but they were impounded in a warehouse on arrival over concerns the vaccines cause a rare type of clotting disorder.

For people aged 70 to 79, regional health authorities in Spain started administering the shot from Thursday, merely two days after the European Medicines Agency’s announcement about the possible side-effect. This decision was largely inspired by the drug regulator’s analysis that the shot’s benefits outweighed the risks.

According to EMA these events should be considered “very rare side effect” of the jab, similar to those experienced by a small number of people who received the AstraZeneca shot. The agency also said that a warning will be added to the vaccine’s labels.

Both Johnson & Johnson’s and AstraZeneca use the same viral vector technology. Akin to AstraZeneca, the EMA has entrusted the EU member states to take a call on how to use the J&J vaccine “according to their national situations and needs”.

Germany’s health ministry has said that the vaccine would be administered in country’s state vaccination centre’s “as soon as possible”.

Italy’s health ministry recommends using the vaccine for people aged 60 or older.  Greece is starting the vaccine administration from May 5, while Denmark will announce its decision next week.

The Netherlands will begin using the J&J vaccine shot next week., while according to a French government spokesman, France which has already received 200,000 doses of the vaccine will start using it from Saturday.

The country’s health authority, Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS), had earlier this month approved the J&J vaccine for use, while imposing the same age limit as AstraZeneca shot, i.e., only for use in people aged 55 and older. The agency is expected to reiterate the restriction by Friday.

“For the time being”, Iceland, has approved J&J vaccine with no age restrictions, and will also begin administering it next week.

Governments are eager to prevent any reservations as the EU’s early slow rollout accelerates but experts caution that this intense scrutiny of the J&J shot and earlier AstraZeneca may shake public confidence in the two vaccines.

J&J has been given the contract for the delivery of approximately 55m or 25 per cent of the total 400m doses of four different vaccines that EU is scheduled to receive in the second quarter.

According to the European commission, by mid-July member states will receive enough doses to meet the target of fully vaccinating 70 per cent of the adult population, a level considered by epidemiologists to be sufficient for herd immunity.

In the US, J&J rollout was temporarily suspended on 13 April. on Friday the country is expected to announce its decision on the time, and the conditions, under which it will resume vaccine rollout.

(With inputs from agencies)