Halt in J&J shots deepens vaccination uncertainties at a critical time
Massachusetts follows CDC recommendation to pause injections
By Robert Weisman and Jonathan Saltzman Globe Staff,Updated April 13, 2021, 1 hour ago
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A clinic in Elgin, Ill., was closed Tuesday with the news of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.Rick West/Associated Press
A sudden halt in Johnson & Johnsonâs vaccine injected jitters into the nationâs COVID-19 inoculation campaign Tuesday, threatening to shake confidence in vaccinations six days before theyâre opened to all adults.
Massachusetts quickly joined dozens of other states, including neighboring Rhode Island and New Hampshire, in adopting a federal recommendation to suspend the J&J shots as US health officials review a half-dozen cases of rare blood clots in women who had been given the single-dose vaccine. About 6.8 million Americans have received the vaccine so far.