Watch live: Scott COVID-19 briefing

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MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – The states of Vermont, New Hampshire and New York announced Tuesday that they will follow CDC recommendations to suspend the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine while the agency reviews data on rare blood clotting events.

Gov. Phil Scott and administration officials will hold a briefing on the delayed pandemic at 12 p.m. on Channel 3 and WCAX.com. Click here to see it in a new browser window or view it above.

The U.S. now recommends a “pause” in the administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 single-dose vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots. In a joint statement Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said they were investigating unusual clots in six women that occurred between 6 and 13 days after vaccination. All six cases were in women aged 18 to 48 years.

Gov. Phil Scott joined Gov. Chris Sununu and Andrew Cuomo in calling for a break in the Johnson & Johnson vaccination program “with great caution.” In a tweet, Scott said everyone who signed up for the vaccine on Tuesday will be contacted by health officials.

The J&J vaccine is one of three available in the US. It has been widely distributed in Vermont, especially among teachers and school staff. Last week, Governor Scott was one of hundreds shot at a Montpelier High School vaccination clinic. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu received the J&J vaccine over the weekend at a high-traffic clinic at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The New York Health Commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker says all appointments for Johnson & Johnson vaccines on Tuesday at state-run mass vaccination sites would be honored with the Pfizer vaccine.

The decision will not affect the other two vaccines, from Moderna and Pfizer, which make up the large proportion of COVID-19 shots administered in the US.

VERMONT VACCINATION UPDATE

The vaccination record for those over 30 opened on Monday. Nearly 46% of Vermonters have had at least one dose so far.

VERMONT HEALTH UPDATE

Daily case counts have declined since last week and the state’s seven-day positive percent average is 1.8%, and officials are expected to provide the latest modeling forecasts along with the updates on outbreaks.

As of Tuesday, Vermont health officials reported 73 new cases of coronavirus for a total of 21,388. There were a total of 233 deaths. The state’s seven-day positive percent average is 1.8%. A total of 367,280 people were tested and 17,601 were recovered.

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