South Africa has recorded a fatality linked to coronavirus vaccination. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) made the announcement.

It said that the person died following immunisation with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The patient was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, also referred to as GBS, which is a rare disorder where the body’s immune system damages the nervous system.

GBS is very rare but a severe adverse event that is associated with the administration of various vaccines and other medicines and can also be triggered by infections such as SARS-CoV-2.