At a panel meeting on Friday, the CDC reported nine new cases of a rare clotting disorder in people who had received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine. The J&J vaccine has been in limbo since last week, when health authorities recommended an abrupt pause on administering it “out of an abundance of caution.”
The panel found 15 women — including the six previously reported — who were diagnosed with the rare condition of unusual blood clots with low platelets, known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. Three of them died, seven remain hospitalized, and five are recovering at home, according to a slide presentation shared during the meeting.
All of the 15 cases discovered were women. Most of them were in their 30s, although the age range was 18–59. Nearly 8 million Americans have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, making known cases of the blood-clot side effect extremely uncommon.
The CDC panel, known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, is meeting for the second time in ten days to examine the potential connection between the Johnson & Johnson shot and the unusual clotting. A decision is expected Friday, more than a week after the vaccine’s distribution was halted. Among the options being weighed by the advisory panel are resuming shots with a warning label or suggesting its use should be restricted by age, sex, or both factors.
