CDC, FDA suspend and halt the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to rare blood clotting issues in six women

Last month many European countries halted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine following new reports of increased blood clot side effects. Now, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced this morning that it is asking all 50 states to temporarily halt using Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine after six people in the U.S. developed a rare blood clotting disorder.

According to FDA, all the six blot clot cases occurred in women ranges between the ages of 18 and 48, with symptoms developing six to 13 days after they received the shot. FDA added that people who receive the vaccine and “develop a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.”

Meanwhile, Johnson and Johnson said in a statement that “no clear causal relationship” has been identified between the blood clots and the vaccine, adding it is working closely with regulators to assess the data.

In a joint statement on Twitter, FDA said:

“Today FDA and @CDCgov issued a statement regarding the Johnson & Johnson #COVID19 vaccine. We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution.”

Today FDA and @CDCgov issued a statement regarding the Johnson & Johnson #COVID19 vaccine. We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution.

— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) April 13, 2021

The FDA said the recommendation is “out of an abundance of caution.”

“Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” the FDA said in a joint statement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously.”