Women’s work, ‘Curated Cocktails,’ Met Gala: News from around our 50 states From USA TODAY Network and wire reports Alabama Montgomery: The state has temporarily paused giving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine out of an “abundance of caution” while federal officials investigate reports of rare blood clots, the state health officer announced Tuesday. Dr. Scott Harris cautioned people to remember those were just six incidents out of 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine that have been given across the nation. “COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for Alabama. It is important to know that the adverse effects potentially stemming from the Johnson & Johnson shot have been extremely rare in the country, but out of an abundance of caution, Alabama is temporarily pausing these shots until we know more,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement. Some vaccine appointments were likely canceled this week, Harris said. But he said the J&J vaccine makes up a small portion of the shots given in the state, so it should not have a large effect on availability. Alabama has so far distributed about 71,000 J&J doses. Harris said the state has another 88,000 or so that will sit on shelves during the investigation but will remain viable until June. Harris said officials had hoped to use the one-shot vaccine for harder-to-reach populations, such as those who are homebound.