With the nation working diligently to extract itself from this horrid coronavirus pandemic, there are many among us who believe that a mass vaccination program would be the only way we can get back to living a relatively normal life.
And while a majority of these vaccinations have had zero complications or negative side effects a recent spate of trouble with one particular brand is threatening to set us back a bit in our recovery.
The U.S. is recommending a “pause” in using the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots.
In a joint statement Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said they were investigating unusual clots that occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. The clots occurred in veins that drain blood from the brain and occurred together with low platelets. All six cases were in women between the ages of 18 and 48; there was one death.
The reports appear similar to a rare, unusual type of clotting disorder that European authorities say is possibly linked to another COVID-19 vaccine not yet cleared in the U.S., from AstraZeneca.
More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S., the vast majority with no or mild side effects.
While the side effects are considered rare, there are concerns that the news could boost a resurgence of vaccine hesitancy, which has been one of the most difficult aspects of attempting to drag the nation back to our old way of life.
