U.S. federal health agencies will issue a joint call Tuesday for Washington to begin an “immediate pause” in the rollout of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose coronavirus vaccine.
The move comes as six Americans have reportedly developed a rare disorder involving blood clots, and one later died, after receiving the shot.
The New York Times reports all six recipients were women between the ages of 18 and 48, and now federal agencies want a pause in the distribution of the vaccine out of “an abundance of caution.”
“We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, said in a joint statement. “Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare.”
This was to “ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events.”
Johnson & Johnson issued a statement of its own saying safety was its “number one priority” and it shared “all adverse event reports” with the health authorities.
It added: “We are aware that thromboembolic events including those with thrombocytopenia have been reported with Covid-19 vaccines. At present, no clear causal relationship has been established between these rare events and the Janssen (J&J) Covid-19 vaccine.”
The BBC reports the U.S.-based company said it would continue to work closely with the regulators.
The U.S. has already vaccinated more than seven million people with the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, indicating the rarity of developing the blood clot disorder, and has ordered millions more doses.
Yesterday, Australia said it would no longer purchase the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because it “is an adenovirus vaccine, the same type of vaccine as the AstraZeneca vaccine” — which it slapped with a warning against use on people under 50.
As Breitbart news reported, Australia has deals in place with Pfizer and AstraZeneca as well as Novavax — which has yet to produce an approved vaccine — and was in negotiations with Johnson & Johnson when the decision was made.