BREAKING NEWS: CDC committee DELAYS vote on whether or not to recommend lifting the pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because it needs to collect more data on adverse side effects
- The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met on Wednesday to discuss the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine
- It came after the CDC and the FDA recommended that rollout of the vaccine be paused after multiple reports of rrare, but serious, blood clots
- The committee is delaying its vote until a later date because members wanted more data before proceeding with a decision
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) committee has delayed its vote on whether or not to recommend lifting the pause of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine.
The meeting was convened after the CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggested clinicians stop using the shot after nine reports of rare, but serious, blood clots out of 7.2 million vaccinations.
Two reports occurred in clinical trials and seven occurred after the vaccine was approved for emergency use authorization.
Eight were among women ages 18 to 59. One woman died and two are currently in critical condition.
Members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which develops guidelines for vaccine administration as well as schedules, appeared to want more data before proceeding with a decision.
‘ACIP does not wish to vote or put any motions on the table to vote on change to the current recommendation,’ the committee wrote in a statement.
The group is going to reconvene again in seven to 10 days, during which members will have time to review a better risk assessment, during which time the pause of J&J’s jab will continue.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is delaying its vote on recommendations about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine until more data are available (file image)
During the meeting, officials from J&J stated that they believe the benefits of their vaccine outweigh the risks.
However, they did suggest that those administering the shots be made aware of potential blood clots and be ready to respond if any patient develops them.
Dr William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and member of the ACIP, told DailyMail.com that when the group meets: they will make one of four decisions.
‘They could extend the pause, they could continue the vaccine, they could discontinue to use the vaccine, or they might continue to use the vaccine in certain groups,’ he said.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.