4/13/21 Joint Media Call: FDA & CDC to Discuss Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine

4/13/21 Johnson & Johnson Statement on COVID-19 Vaccine 

4/13/21 White House Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, NIAID Director and Chief Medical Advisor to the President Dr. Anthony Fauci, and COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients

The U.S. has recommended a pause on use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 

FDA & CDC report 6 cases of “rare and severe” blood clots in women ages 18-48, causing “severe stroke-like illness.” 

1 case was fatal; 1 patient is in critical condition. 

Condition “very similar” to “another vaccine in Europe.” 

Officials did not name AstraZeneca, but concerns *have* surfaced about blood clotting and the AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe.

The FDA isn’t certain, but offered this: 

A focus is the adenoviral vector vaccines. The J&J vaccine uses a shell of an adenovirus (called adenoviral vectors) as a “delivery vehicle” for the vaccine into your body. AstraZeneca uses a similar technology. 

Doctors say that in some cases the body’s immune response to the adenovirus may lead to this very rare condition.

This condition occurred in 6 cases out of the more than 6.8 million J&J doses administered (remember, J&J is a single-dose vaccine).

If you received vaccine more than a month ago, health officials say risk of developing this condition is very low.

If you received it recently (last 3 weeks), be mindful of symptoms - such as 

 headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, & shortness of breath.

Right now, the condition doesn’t appear to be related to birth control (birth control pills can raise risk of blood clotting) but women under 50 remain the focus. 

 blood clotting – it’s blood clotting WITH a condition of low platelets (thrombocytopenia – which can actually cause severe internal bleeding).

“We are totally aware that this is a very rare event. We want to get this worked out as quickly as we possibly can. And that’s why you see the word ‘pause.'" 

White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci on why the FDA & CDC is recommending (not mandating) the pause out of an "abundance of caution" while the FDA & CDC investigate and consider next steps.

Typical treatment (i.e.: heparin) for blood clots can actually make this condition more dangerous. The govt. says over 122 million people have received at least one vaccine dose. Dr. Fauci says this particular type of clotting condition has not been detected in connection with the Moderna & Pfizer vaccines.

Health

Johnson And Johnson Pause

4/13/21 Joint Media Call: FDA & CDC to Discuss Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine

4/13/21 Johnson & Johnson Statement on COVID-19 Vaccine 

4/13/21 White House

Quick. Concise. Nonpartisan.

Jenna