From our friends at Nautilus.
Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called a halt to the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, following reports of blood clotting in a rare number of cases.
The April 13 decision to halt the Johnson & Johnson vaccine comes after “six recipients in the United States developed a rare disorder involving blood clots within about two weeks of vaccination,” according to the New York Times. The report noted they were all women, between the ages of 18-48, with one fatality and another recipient currently hospitalized in critical condition.
“We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” Dr. Peter Marks, a Food and Drug Administration official, and Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the C.D.C., said in a joint statement. “Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare.”
Nearly 7 million doses of the vaccine have already been given to people throughout the U.S., with about 9 million doses distributed. The single-dose vaccine was approved in late February for use in the U.S., and it has been part of the nation’s vaccine arsenal since early March.
Read the rest of the story at Nautilus.