On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended pausing use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine "out of an abundance of caution" due to reports of a rare combination of blood clots and low platelet counts in six of the more than seven million people reported to have received the shot. One additional person experienced a similar side effect in J&J clinical trials, and an eighth case is under investigation.
The clots developed within two weeks after the vaccine was received. No incidents of this side effect have been reported for the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, which use a different type of vaccine technology.
The recommended pause will likely slow the pace of vaccine administration in the coming weeks, but the U.S. is still on track to vaccinate every adult who wants a vaccine with at least one dose by sometime this summer.
How many J&J vaccines were being given?
The CDC began reporting manufacturer information that included Johnson & Johnson vaccines in mid-March.
The weekly average of new reported first doses each day for Moderna and Pfizer vaccines began to dip around April 6. The pace continued to decrease until April 11, hitting a low point in its weekly average of 1.52 million first doses reported administered per day.
As daily reported first doses of Moderna and Pfizer decreased, the number of J&J vaccines reported administered rose. For the week ending April 14, J&J vaccines made up 21.4% of the new administered first doses reported, helping the U.S. to reach an average of nearly two million new reported first doses per day.
Including second doses, J&J vaccines made up 12.8% of the new doses reported administered the week ending April 14.
Usage of the J&J vaccine was increasing when the FDA and CDC recommended pausing its use. J&J vaccines were authorized about three months after the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines though, and make up a relatively small share of the doses that have been administered since the vaccine rollout began.
The CDC doesn't release data on vaccine manufacturers by the date the vaccine was actually administered, so these numbers are based on the number of vaccines reported by the CDC each day. A day's report may include information from any date since vaccine administration began but primarily includes vaccines administered within the most recent five days.
What can we expect now?
J&J vaccines made up about one-fifth of new first doses reported administered and about 1 in 8 of all new doses reported administered in the week the pause was recommended, so we may see a decrease in the number of new people vaccinated per day.
However, the U.S. vaccine rollout is moving at a fast pace even without the J&J vaccine. If the number of new people vaccinated per day decreased by 20%, the U.S. would still be on track to be able to vaccinate every adult who wants a vaccine with at least one dose by sometime in July.
Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 Response coordinator, released a statement on Tuesday saying that the J&J pause would not have a "significant impact" on the pace of vaccinations.
Read more: The US has paused its use of J&J's COVID-19 shot. How will that impact vaccine equity?
How long will the J&J vaccine pause last?
Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said the recommendation to pause the vaccine was expected to last "a matter of days," but that it would depend on the outcome of the review. When the CDC’s expert committee first convened to review the cases on Wednesday, they decided there wasn't enough data to make a decision on how to move forward. The committee will meet again to discuss the J&J vaccine on April 23, and the pause recommendation is expected to remain in place at least until then.
Why did the CDC and FDA recommend pausing use of the J&J vaccine?
The pause is meant to allow the CDC's expert committee to review the cases, better understand the possible reasons and mechanisms behind them and make recommendations. It also allows time for details to reach the health care community so medical providers are aware of how to detect and treat any future probable cases.
What does the J&J vaccine pause mean for Moderna and Pfizer vaccines?
The combinations of blood clots and low platelet counts reported in the six people who received J&J vaccines are similar to those reported in association with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not yet approved in the US. Both the J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines are adenovirus vaccines, which is a different type of vaccine technology than Pfizer and Moderna use. There have been no reports of this combination of blood clots and low platelet counts associated with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which use mRNA technology.
Read more: Comparing the COVID-19 vaccines
What should I do if I got the J&J vaccine?
The risk of developing a blood clot and low platelet count in association with the J&J vaccine is very low. However, if you received the vaccine within the past few weeks and have any of the following symptoms, seek medical care as soon as possible:
- Severe headache
- Blurred vision
- Fainting
- Seizures
- Pain in your abdomen
- Leg pain or swelling
- Shortness of breath
Read more about possible symptoms of this condition in our guide on what to do if you've recently received the vaccine.
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