File: Fighting Coronavirus

Just as many countries did in Europe to some, the United States has called for a temporary suspension of the usage of the Johnson and Johnson coronavirus vaccine.

This was contained in a joint statement by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday, 13 April 2021.

Reason: The two bodies discovered six cases in the United States of what they described as “a rare and severe type of blood clot that developed about two weeks after the vaccine was administered in these patients.”

They wrote: “As of April 12, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine have been administered in the U.S.

“CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine.

“In these cases, a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia).

“All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination.

“Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered. Usually, an anticoagulant drug called heparin is used to treat blood clots. In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given.

“CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance.

“FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases. Until that process is complete, we are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution.

“This is important, in part, to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot.”

Read the full statement here