A CDC advisory panel debated possible next steps in the administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, and after hours of questions and presentation, decided Wednesday they did not have enough information about the rare instances of blood clots to make a recommendation.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices held an emergency meeting Wednesday afternoon to review what is known about the six reported cases of blood clots out of the 7 million vaccinations of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
During Wednesday afternoon’s meeting, many experts shared that there is just not enough information known about the cases of blood clots and what may have caused them.
The ACIP was debating Wednesday whether there should be a longer pause on administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or whether limits on the vaccine's use should be adopted; such as age limits or people with certain conditions.
The CDC and FDA are investigating the reported cases of unusual blood clots. On Tuesday, they asked states to temporarily pause using the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine “out of an abundance of caution.”
The extremely rare blood clots were all reported in women, between the ages of 18 and 48 years old. Health officials continue to look into what other similarities there may be between the patients. The clots were identified anywhere from six to 13 days after receiving the one-shot vaccine dose.
The ACIP is a panel of experts on immunizations who weighs in on a wide range of vaccines approved for use in America. They made recommendations to the CDC on each of the COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use.
