Poland starts J&J COVID-19 jabs, says benefits outweigh risks

Vials and medical syringe are seen in front of J&J logo in this illustration
Vials with a sticker reading, "COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Johnson & Johnson logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

WARSAW, April 15 (Reuters) - Poland started administering Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 shots on Thursday as benefits from the vaccine outweigh potential risks, government and drug office representatives said.

U.S. federal health agencies on Tuesday recommended pausing use of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine for at least a few days after six women under age 50 developed rare blood clots after receiving the shot, dealing a fresh setback to efforts to tackle the pandemic.

"In the case of Johnson & Johnson today is the first day it has been used. We have not received signals that there are problems, or that patient are refusing (to take it)," Michal Dworczyk, a government official overseeing the country's vaccine programme told a press conference.

The head of the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products told the conference that benefits from the J&J vaccine outweigh potential risks.

Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko, Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk and Anna Koper

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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