From Reuters - US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Janet Woodcock stated that a recent pause in distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine is only expected to last a few days as healthcare providers learn how to diagnose and treat the rare occurrences of blood clotting. The announcement comes after six women under the age of 50 developed rare blood clots after receiving the vaccine.
The FDA has confirmed that one death has been reported as a result of the rare blood clotting, while another person remains in critical condition.
The White House stated that appointments that were already made for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are being rescheduled to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, neither of which have any reported instances of clotting.
FDA official Peter Marks stated that it was obvious that the Johnson & Johnson cases of clotting were very similar to the AstraZeneca cases of clotting. He also noted that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use a different technology and account for the majority of US vaccinations distributed to date.
President Joe Biden asserted today that he remains confident that the US will reach his goal of administering 200 million shots during his first 100 days in office.
Johnson & Johnson stated that it would delay rollout of the vaccine in Europe. South Africa has also suspended use of the vaccine.
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