US regulators recommend ‘pause’ in use of J&J vaccine over blood clot fears

US health authorities such as Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and Federal
Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday recommended
a ‘pause’ in administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of an ‘abundance
of caution’, as they investigate into any links between the vaccine and formation
of blood clots.

FDA tweeted out that itself and CDC were
looking into the “potential significance” of the emergence of six cases where
blood clots formed in patients who received the J&J shot.

“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”, the tweet
read, further adding that as of April 12, more than 6.8 million of J&J
vaccines were administered in the US alone.

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“As of 4/12, 6.8m+ doses of the J&J
vaccine have been administered in the U.S. CDC & FDA are reviewing data
involving 6 reported U.S. cases of a rare & severe type of blood clot in
individuals after receiving the vaccine. Right now, these adverse events appear
to be extremely rare”, it added.

The CDC would be convening an advisory committee
on Wednesday “to further review these cases and assess their potential
significance. FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases”,
the tweet further read.

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This statement from the regulatory body
comes on the heels of European Union’s drug regulator saying it was reviewing
blood clot cases.