US regulator calls for pause in Johnson & Johnson vaccine over clotting issues

New Delhi: After AstraZeneca-linked blot clotting controversy, another Coronavirus vaccine is under the lens of health agencies as six recipients in US developed a rare disorder of blood clotting.

The blood clot apparently happened, days & weeks after taking Johnson & Johnson vaccine. One person died while another is hospitalized in critical condition.

The US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have recommended “pause” in the use of Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine “out of an abundance of caution” .

According to data from CDC, about 7 million people in United States have received Johnson & Johnson shots so far and about 9 million vaccines have been exported to other countries.

In a joint statement, the CDC and the FDA said they were investigating clots in six women in the days after vaccination, in combination with reduced platelet count. The six reported cases were among more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered in the United States.

On February 27, The FDA issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.