The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it has called for a pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
- The decision came after there were “six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine,” according to the FDA.
- All cases involved women between 18 and 48 years old and happened six to 13 days after vaccination.
What to watch for when you get the J&J vaccine
The FDA released a list of symptoms and side effects you might suffer from the vaccine. If you suffer from these issues within three weeks after getting the vaccine, you should contact your health care provider for more information, help and treatment. The symptoms include:
- Severe headache.
- Abdominal pain.
- Leg pain.
- Shortness of breath.
Health care providers will then send those reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System to help the FDA keep track of everything.
Can you still get Johnson & Johnson vaccine?
Not for the moment. All federal mass vaccination sites and community health centers will pause the use of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine immediately, a federal health official told CNN on Tuesday.
- Federal health officials have called on states to follow the same pattern and pause distribution at their vaccination sites, per The New York Times.