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Friday, Apr. 16, 2021

Has the US permanently discontinued use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine?

Lisa Freedland, Gigafact
no

Use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. has been temporarily paused, according to a statement released by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control on April 13, 2021.

With 6.8 million doses of the vaccine distributed, the reason for the pause is “six reported cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot after receiving the J&J vaccine” among women between 18 and 48 years old. These cases were characterized by a combination of the blood clot type “cerebral venous sinus thrombosis” with “low levels of blood platelets.”

The agencies have said that they will separately meet to review these cases and assess the seriousness of the situation.

Similar clotting effects have been reported among a small number of people who have received a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca in Europe. That vaccine has not been authorized for use in the U.S.

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