FDA, CDC recommending “pause” in use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, citing rare blood clots

9:00 AM UPDATE:

Doctor Thomas Dobbs, Mississippi State Health Officer said Tuesday morning, “MSDH is instructing all physicians, clinics and hospitals to refrain from using Johnson and Johnson until additional guidance available from CDC and FDA.”

He went on to say, “Please know this is extremely rare. Those who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine already should not be worried. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not affected.”

ORIGINAL STORY:

WASHINGTON (WXXV) — Early Tuesday morning, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement regarding the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

In the joint statement, the agencies said “We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution.

“As of April 12, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in the United States. CDC & FDA are reviewing data involving 6 reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the vaccine. Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare.”

The FDA says treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered.

CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance.

FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases.

The FDA says, “Until that process is complete, we are recommending this pause. This is important to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot.”

Doctor Thomas Dobbs, Mississippi State Health Officer said Tuesday morning, “MSDH is instructing all physicians, clinics and hospitals to refrain from using Johnson and Johnson until additional guidance available from CDC and FDA.”

He went on to say, “Please know this is extremely rare. Those who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine already should not be worried. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not affected.”