The European Medicines Agency says that though the Johnson & Johnson SARS-CoV-2 vaccine may be associated with rare blood clot side effects, its benefits outweigh its risks, CNBC reports.
Earlier this month, officials in the US recommended pausing the use of J&J's vaccine while reports of rare, but serious blood clots combined with low blood platelet levels after receiving the vaccine were investigated. European officials likewise announced they would be looking into the reports.
In a press release, EMA recommends that a warning about the possibility of blood clots be added to the product information and said that the benefits of the vaccine in preventing COVID-19 outweigh the risk. "COVID-19 is associated with a risk of hospitalization and death," the agency says. "The reported combination of blood clots and low blood platelets is very rare."
As CNBC notes, EMA also recently reviewed cases of blood clots following vaccination with the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine from AstraZeneca and Oxford University and similarly concluded that the vaccine was safe.
According to Deutsche Welle, the US is expected to announce its decision on the J&J vaccine Friday.