US lifts pause in Johnson & Johnson vaccine
The temporary suspension was lifted about 10 days after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) called for a stop to inoculations with the shot as a precaution, after reports of six cases of a "rare and severe type of blood clot" after the jab, according to a joint statement.
"Following a thorough safety review ... the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have determined that the recommended pause regarding the use of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S. should be lifted and use of the vaccine should resume," the statement said.
During the pause, medical and scientific teams at the FDA and CDC investigated the cases and conducted outreach to providers and clinicians to ensure they were made aware of "the potential for these adverse events."
In the statement the authorities expressed confidence that the vaccine is "safe and effective in preventing COVID-19" and stressed that the jab's "known and potential benefits outweigh its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age and older."
The statement added that the authorities will "remain vigilant in continuing to investigate this risk."
Until now, some 7 million people have received Johnson & Johnson's single-shot vaccine against Covid-19, which was authorized in February.