The CDC and FDA have recommended an immediate discontinuation of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine because of rare side effects, including blood clotting.
In the United States, more than 6.8 million people have received the J&J vaccine, with the result that only six people suffered from a rare clotting disorder.
Here’s what the FDA and CDC say you should do:
J&J consumer vaccine
People who have received the J&J vaccine and develop a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks of vaccination should contact their healthcare provider.
J&J vaccine for doctors
Healthcare providers are asked to report adverse reactions to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System at https://vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html
The FDA and CDC offer this additional warning:
“The treatment for this particular type of blood clot is different from what would normally be given. Usually, an anti-coagulant called heparin is used to treat blood clots. In this setting, giving heparin can be dangerous.”
What causes this clotting?
It is not yet known why these strange blood clots occur in some patients who receive the J&J vaccine. The six people who got clots were women ages 18 to 48, the FDA and CDC said. They had what’s called cerebral sinus vein thrombosis or CVST, as well as a low platelet count in their blood.
So far, concerns about unusual blood clots have centered on AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which is not yet to receive approval in the US. Last week, European regulators said they have found a possible link between the injections and a very rare type. Blood clot that occurs at the same time over time. with low platelets, one that seems to be more common in younger people.
The J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines are made with the same technology. Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which train the body to recognize the protein spike that covers the outer surface of the coronavirus, the J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines use a cold virus called adenovirus to insert the spike gene. the body. J&J uses a human adenovirus to make its vaccine, while AstraZeneca uses a chimpanzee version.