Italy has begun distributing 184,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson coronavirus shots to regional vaccination centres and recommending it for people aged over 60 following the latest evaluation from the European drug regulatory agency.
Italy’s health ministry and pharmaceutical agency gave the green light for the vaccine after a precautional suspension following reports the shot might be linked to very rare blood clots.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Tuesday it had found a possible link between the vaccine and very rare blood clots but said the benefits outweighed the risks.
After the ruling, the Italian government decided to recommend the shot for people over 60, a similar recommendation it made for the AstraZeneca vaccine that was also linked to possible clots.
Italy’s virus commissioner said in a statement that starting on Wednesday, the initial 184,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson shots that were waiting in storage pending the EMA review will be distributed to Italy’s regions.
