Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Paused in US
- fionacsweet
- Apr 13, 2021
- 2 min read
Injections of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose coronavirus vaccine stopped in much of the country today after the FDA and the CDC called for a paused in the vaccine's use due to the emergence of a rare blood clotting in six recipients. For reference, nearly seven million people in the US have received J&J shots thus far.
All six were women between the ages of 18 and 48 and all developed the illness within one to three weeks of vaccination. One woman has died and a second woman has been hospitalized in critical condition.
The federal government is expected to pause administration of the vaccine at all federally run vaccination sites, and federal officials expect state health officials to follow that lead.
Scientists with the FDA and CDC will both examine possible links between the vaccine and the disorder and determine whether it's safe enough to keep administering the vaccine. An emergency meeting of the CDC's outside vaccine advisory committee has been scheduled for Wednesday.
The AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine that was paused for immunization in Europe also has cases involving blood clots. Interestingly enough, the cases involving these rare blood clots are very similar between the two vaccines.
On the slightly bright side, Jeffrey Zients, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, said today that the pause "will not have a significant impact" on the nation's vaccination program.
I hope that the CDC and the FDA will quickly be able to figure out what is happening with these rare cases. We should operate with an abundance of caution, but we should not discount an entire vaccine because a very specific group of people get sick. Perhaps women 18 to 48 who are on a specific type of birth control just shouldn't get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Then again, I know that it is not that easy and should not just be regarded as a side effect of the vaccine.
We will see what happens.
Have a great Tuesday!
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