The US health watchdog FDA warns of a new, serious possible side effect with Johnson & Johnson’s corona vaccine. Authorities say there is an increased risk of a rare side effect, Guillain-Barré syndrome.
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It concerns about 100 reports among the 12.5 million people who have received the J&J jab in the United States. One person would have died, 95 patients had to be hospitalized.
The cases have largely been reported about two weeks after vaccination and mostly in men, many aged 50 and over. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a nerve disorder that can lead to sudden muscle paralysis. It is an unintended response of the immune system. Most people make a full recovery from Guillain-Barré.
The latest development comes at a bad time, because the delta variant of the coronavirus is just now on the rise.
Federal health officials have repeatedly stressed that the benefits of Covid-19 vaccinations far outweigh the potential risks.
Jeanne Marrazzo, director of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, says the absolute risk of Guillain-Barré remains so rare that “it should not deter people from getting vaccinated.”
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