From The Tribune staff reports
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a statement on Tuesday calling for a pause in the one dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine for Covid due rare reports of blood clots. Less than one person per one million doses have experience blood clots, according to the FDA.
“Today FDA and (Center for Disease Control) issued a statement regarding the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine,” the FDA said via social media. “We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution.”
As of April 12, over 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S, the FDA said. CDC & FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the vaccine. Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare, according to the FDA.
Authorities said treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered.
CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases.
“Until that process is complete, we are recommending this pause,” according to the statement. “This is important to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot.”
