The FDA and CDC are calling for an "immediate pause" in the administering of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the federal government announced early Tuesday.
Federal officials say that six cases of a very rare but severe blood clot have been reported within two weeks of receiving the one-dose vaccine in the United States. All of the six people developing the blood clots were women between the ages of 18 and 48. One woman has died, reports say.
It's estimated that 6.8 million Americans have already received the Johnson & Johnson, and about 9 million more supplies shipped to vaccine sites throughout the country.
“We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the C.D.C., said in a joint statement. “Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare.”