CDC panel recommends resuming use of Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine

Axios
·2 min read

An advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday recommended that the U.S. resume use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, saying the benefits of the shot outweigh the risk of a rare blood clot disorder.

Why it matters: The move likely paves the way for the U.S. to lift its recommended pause on the one-shot vaccine. The Biden administration has said it will take the panel's recommendations into account as it makes a determination on the vaccine's use.

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  • The panel's vote on Friday was 10-4 in favor of recommending the use of J&J's vaccine for "persons 18 years of age and older in the U.S. population under the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization." One member abstained.

  • Johnson & Johnson said it supported adding a warning label to its shot. The language for the label has been agreed upon with the Food and Drug Administration, the company noted.

The big picture: The FDA on April 13 recommended an immediate halt to the use of the J&J vaccine, citing cases of a rare blood clot disorder that six women developed within two weeks of receiving the shot.

  • All 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico paused or recommended a halt on the use of that vaccine.

  • The CDC said Friday that at least nine additional women have developed blood clots, but that the chances of people developing the disorder remains extremely low.

  • Three women have died of the rare blood clots, and seven remain hospitalized, the CDC told the advisory panel Friday.

  • About 8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered so far, per the CDC.

What to watch: The FDA is expected to soon make its decision on Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause.

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