FDA and CDC Recommend Pausing COVID-19 Vaccination With J & J-Janssen Shot While They Investigate Blood Clot Risks

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending that vaccinations with the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine be temporarily halted while the agencies review reports of blood clots among vaccinated people. On April 13, the two government agencies issued a joint statement announcing a recommended pause as federal regulators review six cases of blood clots reported six to 13 days after the people received the single-dose vaccine. “Until that [review] process is complete, we are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” the statement said. Cities and states across the U.S. moved quickly to follow the federal guidance, although it’s not a mandate to stop using the vaccine. New York state urged people with vaccination appointments who were due to receive the J&J shot to keep those appointments, saying that the state would give them the Pfizer-BioNTech jab instead. Maryland, which just a day ago opened a mass vaccination site relying on J&J doses, advised providers to pause using the shot. Detroit’s health department reassured people that while the city decided to halt vaccinations with J&J-Janssen, it had enough doses of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shots to swap in for people who already have appointments. Federal health officials stressed that the clotting side effects are extremely rare among vaccinated people—in the U.S., nearly 7 m...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Source Type: news