CDC panel reviews clot risk linked to J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine

(AP) — A authorities advisory sheet is gathering Thursday to find if immoderate restrictions are needed for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine due to the fact that of uncommon but superior humor clots.

A unusual clotting occupation prompted the U.S. to temporarily halt the single-dose J&J shots past April portion scientists investigated. Eventually regulators decided the benefits of a one-and-done vaccine outweighed what was considered a precise uncommon hazard — arsenic agelong arsenic recipients were warned.

While it’s inactive rare, the Food and Drug Administration told wellness attraction providers this week that much cases person occurred since the spring. They hap astir successful women betwixt 30 and 49 — astir erstwhile for each 100,000 doses administered, the FDA said.

Overall, the authorities has confirmed 54 clot cases successful some women and men, and 9 deaths that included 2 men, Dr. Isaac See of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. He said 2 further deaths are suspected.

The CDC decides however vaccines should beryllium utilized successful the U.S., and its influential advisory committee is deliberating whether the newest information information warrants immoderate caller limits connected J&J’s vaccine.

More than 200 cardinal Americans are afloat vaccinated, astir 16 cardinal of them with the J&J vaccine. The different 2 vaccines utilized successful the U.S. — from Pfizer and Moderna — are made otherwise and regulators accidental they don’t travel with this clot risk. And dissimilar successful the outpouring erstwhile vaccine supplies were tight, Pfizer and Moderna shots present are plentiful successful the U.S.

COVID-19 itself tin origin perchance deadly humor clots. But the fishy culprit for the vaccine-related benignant is simply a rogue immune effect linked to some the J&J changeable and a COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca. Both of those vaccines are made similarly, utilizing a acold microorganism known arsenic an adenovirus, though AstraZeneca’s changeable is not utilized successful the U.S.

The FDA this week warned that different dose of the J&J vaccine shouldn’t beryllium fixed to anyone who developed a clot pursuing either a J&J oregon AstraZeneca shot.

At contented is simply a weird benignant of humor clot that forms successful antithetic places, specified arsenic veins that drain humor from the brain, and successful patients who besides make abnormally debased levels of the platelets that signifier clots. Symptoms of the antithetic clots, dubbed “thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome,” see terrible headaches a week oregon 2 aft the J&J vaccination — not close distant — arsenic good arsenic abdominal symptom and nausea.

Several different countries already person recommended property restrictions for some the AstraZeneca and J&J vaccines, oregon that penchant beryllium fixed to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives enactment from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely liable for each content.