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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have recommended on Tuesday that the use of the vaccine from Janssen, a subsidiary of the U.S. multinational Johnson & Johnson, be suspended after six cases of a “rare and serious” type of blood clot were recorded, according to the U.S. agency itself.
“Today FDA and @CDCgov issued a statement regarding the Johnson & Johnson #COVID19 vaccine. We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” the agency stated on its Twitter account.
The FDA adds that “#COVID19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously.”
The FDA and CDC announcement means that all federal health channels (mass vaccination sites, community health centers and the like) that previously administered the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will have to halt the process for the time being, according to a federal health official.
The agencies recommend that states do the same, but it will be up to each state to make that decision.
The pause in vaccine administration came after a type of blood clot was detected that is not on the list of possible adverse side effects that were part of the emergency use authorization for J&J by the United States.
However, experts stress that such cases are rare and want healthcare providers to have time to understand what the possible side effects are and how best to treat them.
In the United States, one of the countries with the highest levels of covid-19 vaccination in the world, sera created by Pfizer and Moderna are administered in addition to J&J’s vaccine.
