WASHINGTON – The United States on Tuesday recommended “pausing” the administration of the single-dose coronavirus vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson to investigate reports of potentially dangerous thrombi.
ALMOST SEVEN MILLION DOSES OF J&J HAVE BEEN APPLIED TO THE US
In a joint statement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) they said Tuesday they were investigating the clots detected in six women in the days after the vaccination, combined with a reduced platelet count.
More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the United States.
Federal distribution channels, including mass vaccination centers, will temporarily stop using the drug, and states and other providers are expected to do the same.
The CDC Immunization Practice Advisory Committee will meet Wednesday to study the cases. The FDA has begun its own investigation.
“Until the process is complete, we recommend a pause in the use of this vaccine as a precaution,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, deputy director of the CDC, and Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biological Evaluation and Research at the FDA, in a joint statement.