Johnson and Johnson’s (NYSE: JNJ) Covid-19 vaccine was halted by the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday “out of an abundance of caution” after six women were diagnosed with a rare blood-clotting disorder.
“Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” the FDA said in a joint statement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously.”
Approximately seven million people have been administered the Johnson & Johnson vaccine within the United States, additionally another nine million doses were shipped out, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the C.D.C., said in a joint statement. “Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare.”
According to Jeffrey Zients, President Joe Biden’s Covid czar, the pause will not cause a “significant impact” on the overall goal to carry out 200 million Covid shots before Biden’s first 100 days in office.
“Based on actions taken by the President earlier this year, the United States has secured enough Pfizer and Moderna doses for 300 million Americans,” he said in a statement. “Over the last few weeks, we have made available more than 25 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna each week, and in fact this week we will make available 28 million doses of these vaccines.”