U.S. weighs next steps for Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 shot amid reports of clotting – CBC

Concerns could undermine public confidence in a vaccine many hoped would help hard-to-reach populations

Apr 14, 2021

U.S. health officials are weighing next steps as they investigate a handful of unusual blood clots in people who received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine — a one-dose shot that many countries were eagerly awaiting to help speed virus protection.

It’s not clear if the exceedingly rare reports —so far, six cases out of more than 7 million inoculations in the U.S. — really are linked to the J&J vaccine. But the government recommended a pause in J&J vaccinations on Tuesday, just a week after European regulators declared that such clots are a rare but possible risk with the AstraZeneca vaccine, a shot made in a similar way but not yet approved for use in the U.S.

The clots occurred in strange places, in veins that drain blood from the brain, and in people with abnormally low levels of clot-forming platelets. The six cases raised an alarm bell because that number is at least three times more than experts would have expected to see even of more typical brain-drainage clots, said Dr. Tom Shimabukuro of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/johnson-johnson-clotting-covid-19-1.5987405

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