Slovenian Health Minister Confirms Causal Link Between Janssen Vaccine Side Effects and Death...Permanent Suspension of Vaccination

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] Slovenian health authorities announced that they will permanently suspend the use of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Janssen, a subsidiary of the U.S. company Johnson & Johnson (J&J), citing side effects such as cerebral hemorrhage and blood clots.

According to AFP on the 30th (local time), Janez Poklukar, Slovenia's Minister of Health, stated, "A causal relationship has been confirmed between deaths following Janssen vaccine administration and the vaccine's blood clot side effects," and announced, "The suspension of Janssen vaccine administration currently in place will be made permanent."

Earlier, Slovenian health authorities were investigating the connection between the death of a Slovenian woman who died of cerebral hemorrhage and blood clots just days after receiving the Janssen vaccine in September and the vaccination itself. After the woman died from blood clot symptoms, thousands of protesters held demonstrations against the vaccination, leading Slovenian health authorities to decide to suspend the use of the Janssen vaccine.

According to an expert report from Slovenian health authorities, the woman reportedly suffered from a rare blood clotting side effect known as thrombocytopenia following vaccination.

Prior to this, controversy over the risks of using the Janssen vaccine in Slovenia had been growing since the wife of a Slovenian diplomat in Paris died just days after receiving the Janssen vaccine in May. According to Slovenian health authorities, over 16 million doses of the Janssen vaccine had been administered in the European Union (EU) by the end of October, with six deaths confirmed to be related to the vaccination.