Top U.S. health officials on Tuesday called for an end to the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine while investigating cases of rare blood clots in people who get the shots.
Officials said they were reviewing six cases of a ‘rare and serious blood clot’ from more than 6.8 million people in the U.S. who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
All six cases were in women between 18 and 48 years of age.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s advisory committee on immunization practices will meet on Wednesday to review the cases, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will also investigate.
“Until the process is completed, we recommend an interruption in the use of this vaccine for the sake of caution,” said Peter Marks, a top FDA official, and Anne Schuchat, a top CDC official. a joint statement. “It is in part important to ensure that the healthcare provider community is aware of the potential for these side effects and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot.”
The type of blood clot in question, called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, requires a different treatment than blood clots usually do. The agencies said they want healthcare providers to be able to plan for it.
Marks and Schuchat emphasized that ‘these adverse events are extremely rare’.
“COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems after COVID-19 vaccination very seriously,” officials added. “People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks should contact their healthcare provider.”
The move will certainly cause shock waves through the U.S. vaccination effort and could exacerbate the vaccine’s reluctance, which has already been a problem because some people have refused to be vaccinated.
Yet two other vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna, have accounted for the bulk of U.S. stocks to date, and no serious safety issues have been raised with them.
About 7 million Johnson & Johnson shots have been fired so far in the US, compared to the much higher numbers for Pfizer and Moderna, about 98 million and 85 million, respectively.
Johnson & Johnson also struggled with its manufacture, as problems at a Baltimore plant slowed the distribution of more doses. But according to CDC data, there are about 9 million more Johnson & Johnson recordings that have now been interrupted.
“While this is unfortunate, it is the right move,” said Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown School of Public Health. wrote of the break on Twitter. “The most important point of vaccination is to trust people that they are safe. These events (central venous thrombosis) are VERY rare. 6 out of 7 million. No vaccine (or drug) is perfect. But trust is built on ‘ a system that takes the adverse events seriously, investigates it, makes data-driven decisions. “
The move brings the back-and-forth that played out in Europe due to another vaccine, from AstraZeneca, in the US, which has experienced a break in some countries, also due to rare blood clots. That vaccine has not yet been approved by the FDA for use in the US
Updated at 07:55