Norway's Vaccination Campaign To Fall Back 8 To 12 Weeks Without AstraZeneca, J&J Vaccines

Norway's vaccination campaign will fall 8 to 12 weeks behind the schedule if AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are suspended over safety concerns, Norwegian Institute of Public Health spokeswoman Line Vold stated on Tuesday

MURMANSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th April, 2021) Norway's vaccination campaign will fall 8 to 12 weeks behind the schedule if AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are suspended over safety concerns, Norwegian Institute of Public Health spokeswoman Line Vold stated on Tuesday.

Norway is expecting a shipment of one million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine in June.

"If the doses do not arrive, it will affect the speed of vaccination. If both AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are not used, the vaccination campaign may be finished eight to twelve weeks later than planned, provided other vaccines are delivered as agreed," Vold said at a briefing.

Earlier in the day, the US health agencies recommended pausing the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to concerns over rare blood-clotting issues. Following the statement, the company announced that it would delay its planned vaccine rollout in Europe.

The World Health Organization vowed to monitor the review data from the European Medicines Agency and the US food and Drug Administration before reaching a conclusion on the safety of the vaccine.