FDA Halts Use Of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 Vaccine Over Blood Clot Issues - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it is recommending a pause in the use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, after six women in the U.S. experienced "a rare and severe type of blood clot" after receiving the shot.

The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a joint statement that "we are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution."

As of April 12, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in the U.S. CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine, FDA said in the statement.

CDC noted that it will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates those cases.

The FDA advised that people who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.