The US plans to pause Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout, citing blood clots

  • The CDC and FDA recommended an immediate pause in the rollout of J&J’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine.
  • It cited the appearance of blood clots in six people who had received the vaccine.
  • See more stories on Insider’s business page.

The US is recommending an immediate pause in the rollout of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, citing concerns of blood clots forming in people who had received the shot.

The New York Times first reported the plan on Tuesday, citing officials briefed on the decision.

Six women who had received the vaccine had developed the clots, The Times reported, noting that it is a rare occurrence. One woman died and another was in critical condition at the hospital, The Times reported, citing the officials.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration confirmed the plan in a statement.

“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 statement said.

“Until that process is complete, we are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution.”

The federal government has the authority to pause vaccinations that it is carrying out directly, but not those being administered by state officials. The Times reported that US officials expect states will also choose to pause their use of the vaccine.

The FDA’s 62-page review of the data, which was released in late February, had found the shot to be effective and safe.

Blood clots have in other countries have led to reviews and some pauses in the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, mostly in Europe. That vaccine is not currently part of the US rollout.

This story is developing. More follows.

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