US health officials debate next steps for paused J&J COVID-19 vaccine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday afternoon debated in a public meeting how to handle the J&J vaccine while authorities investigate.
Author: LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writers
Published: 11:42 AM CDT April 14, 2021
Updated: 11:56 AM CDT April 14, 2021
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials are weighing the next steps as they investigate a handful of unusual blood clots in people who received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine — a one-dose shot that many countries were eagerly awaiting to help speed virus protection.
It’s not clear if the exceedingly rare reports — so far, six cases out of more than 7 million inoculations in the U.S. — really are linked to the J&J vaccine. But the government recommended a pause in J&J vaccinations on Tuesday, just a week after European regulators declared that such clots are a rare but possible risk with the AstraZeneca vaccine, a shot made in a similar way but not yet approved for use in the U.S.