Coronavirus: Cyprus to start administering Johnson & Johnson vaccine

The Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine will be administered from Thursday or by Monday at the latest after it was given the green light by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Tuesday, acting head of the pharmaceutical services Elena Panayiotopoulou told state radio on Wednesday.

Up to now 2,400 doses of the single-dose vaccine have been received, which were temporarily made unavailable on April 14 pending an EMA investigation into a handful of cases of thrombosis in the US.

On Tuesday, the EMA said the benefits of the shot outweigh the risk of very rare, potentially lethal blood clots.

The EMA recommended adding a warning about rare blood clots with low blood platelet count to the vaccine’s product label and said the benefits of the one-dose shot outweigh its risks.

More doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are expected to arrive in Cyprus in the coming days, Panayiotopoulou said.

She stressed the importance of vaccinations, noting that symptoms are milder even if someone does get sick.

This means the need for hospitalisation in intensive care units and for intubation is reduced, she explained.

Commenting on the AstraZeneca vaccine, Panayiotopoulou said it has been proven that even after the first jab a high degree of immunity is achieved.

Older people who were unable to make an appointment should not worry, as the vaccination portal would reopen, she added.