U.S. calls for pause on Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine after six clotting cases 

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are calling for an immediate pause of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine after six recipients developed a rare disorder post-vaccination. 

The rare disorder, which involved blood clots, developed within two weeks of vaccination. All six of the recipients were women, between the ages of 18 and 48, according to the New York Times.

The FDA described the recommended pause as a decision “out of an abundance of caution” and said the cases were “extremely rare”.

They wrote in a statement online; “As of 4/12, 6.8m+ doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S. CDC & FDA are reviewing data involving 6 reported U.S. cases of a rare & severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the vaccine.

"Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare.”

Health officials will meet on Wednesday to further review the cases and assess their significance. The FDA said it will review the analysis and also investigate the cases.

They added; “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.”

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