(Bloomberg) -- Lesotho is probing the deaths of five people who had received the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine in its northern district of Leribe, according to Health Minister Semano Sekatle.

Lesotho’s National Expert Committee on adverse events following immunization and the World Health Organization had picked specialists to investigate the deaths, he told reporters on Thursday. No definite link has been drawn between the vaccinations and the deaths. 

“Severe adverse events following immunization are very rare,” he said. “The team has been on the ground reviewing epidemiological facts and investigating.”

Lesotho, which has recorded 14,363 positive cases and 400 deaths, will continue administering shots, Sekatle said.

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