Federal agencies call for pause on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

Federal officials on Tuesday called for a pause on using the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after six women developed rare blood clots days after receiving the single-dose shots.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it’s joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in urging a halt on administering the single-shot vaccines.

“We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” the FDA wrote on Twitter.

Gov. Mike DeWine, Ohio Department of Health Director Stephanie McCloud and Ohio Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff are advising all Ohio vaccine providers to temporarily pause using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Nationwide, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been administered as of Monday, officials said.

Six people who received the shot developed “a rare and severe type of blood clot,” the FDA and CDC said in a joint news release Tuesday morning.

The reported blood clots, called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, were all among women age 18 and 48, the agencies said. They developed the symptoms six to 13 days after they received the vaccine.

The FDA and CDC are reviewing the blood clot cases, which require treatment different than what’s typically given, officials said.

“These adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” the agencies said. ”COVID-19 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 move comes after “adverse reactions” to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine recently were reported at vaccination sites in at least four states.

In North Carolina, two providers temporarily said they stopped administering the vaccines last week after some people receiving the shots experienced reactions including fainting and dizziness. The sites later resumed the use of the vaccines after the CDC said there were no safety issues.

In Georgia, a vaccination site paused use of Johnson & Johnson vaccines after administering 425 doses on Wednesday. Officials said eight people who received them had “adverse reactions” that were “consistent with common reactions in adults being vaccinated with any vaccine,” McClatchy News reported.

Common vaccine side effects include fever, headaches and a sore arm.

This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 8:48 AM with the headline "Federal agencies call for pause on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine."