Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine Has Been Resumed

April 26, 2021

This past Friday, the CDC lifted the pause on Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine usage. During this pause, which was announced April 13, the CDC confirmed an additional 9 cases of women developing thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) – blood clots with low platelet count – after receiving the J&J vaccine. The pause was initiated after 6 cases were presumed to be linked to the J&J vaccine. 13 of the 15 women were between the ages of 18-49.

Before getting the vaccine, recipients are encouraged to review the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine fact sheet for recipients and caregivers, which includes side effects and risk information. That being said, the FDA and CDC state this vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19, and that the potential risks are outweighed by the benefits of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Furthermore, “at this time, the available data suggests that the chance of TTS occurring is very low, but the FDA and CDC will remain vigilant in continuing to investigate this risk” (1). 

The CDC and FDA continue to encourage those who have received the vaccine and experienced adverse effects to submit a report to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.