DENVER (KDVR) –The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending a pause on the use of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine out of an abundance of caution.
The FDA said on Tuesday that six people in the U.S. who received the vaccine had a rare and severe type of blood clot. One person has died from the blood clot. Another person is in the hospital in critical condition.
The announcement comes nearly a week after the mass COVID-19 vaccination site at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park was closed after 11 people experienced adverse reactions following Johnson & Johnson vaccine shots.
The City of Denver said it is not using any Johnson and Johnson vaccine at any of its clinics Tuesday.
FEMA said that Johnson and Johnson vaccine appointments at The Ranch Community Vaccination site in Loveland are canceled.
More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S.
“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.”
In a statement, the FDA said, “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 Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered. 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 this pause. This is important to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot.”
Johnson & Johnson also announced Tuesday that it’s delaying the rollout of its coronavirus vaccine in Europe amid the U.S. probe.