The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decided to stop the use of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine use because of its rare blood clotting side effect.
Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center investigational pharmacy technician Sara Berech holds a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine before it is administered in a clinical trial on December 15, 2020 in Aurora, Colorado. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be submitted for emergency use by late January and is the only vaccine among leading candidates given as a single dose.
The decision of the two health agencies was announced on Tuesday, Apr. 13.
"Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare," stated FDA and CDC in a joint statement via CNBC's latest report.
"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," added the two agencies.
FDA confirmed its decision via its official Twitter account @US_FDA. The latest post was able to generate more than 7,000 retweets, 3,000 likes, and 600 comments.
FDA added that it is now investigating the six reported blood clotting cases, together with CDC.
Do these if you're vaccinated with the J&J COVID-19 vaccine
An anonymous White House spokesperson said that the new blood clotting issue affected six women between the ages of 18 and 48. He added that the symptoms appeared 13 days after they were innoculated with the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine shot.
Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center investigational pharmacy technician Sara Berech is reflected in the glass of a fume hood as she prepares a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for a clinical trial on December 15, 2020 in Aurora, Colorado. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be submitted for emergency use by late January and is the only vaccine among leading candidates given as a single dose.
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On the other hand, the spokesperson added that health experts are now treating the patients using heparin. However, some researchers said that this could be dangerous, advising them to use another treatment.
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.
— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) April 13, 2021
If you received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, FDA and CDC said that you should go to the doctor if you have the following symptoms:
- Severe headache
- Leg pain
- Shortness of breath
- Abdominal pain
Since the use of the J&J vaccine is currently stopped, the company's shares went down more than 3% in premarket trading on Apr. 13. On the other hand, CDC announced that it will conduct a meeting on Apr. 14 so that they can review the reported blood clotting cases.
Status of J&J and other COVID-19 vaccines
CNN Health previously reported that all authorized COVID-19 vaccines continue to be highly efficient and safe when it comes to preventing the deadly novel coronavirus. These include J&J, Moderna, and Pfizer.
However, J&J is currently in a bad position because of the newly found blood clotting side effect. Although this is the case, medical experts said that the reaction is incredibly rare. Nevertheless, the continuation of the use of this COVID-19 vaccine will still depend on FDA and CDC's decision.
For more news updates about J&J and other COVID-19 vaccines, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Giuliano de Leon
