What you should know about the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
By Shivani Majmudar & Eve Bloomgarden, MD
This week’s announcement from the CDC and FDA to pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is a reasonable measured response and indicates that the government’s health surveillance system is working. Although the pause may come as a surprise, it is a natural part of the scientific and public health processes.
If you have gotten a J&J shot already, there is absolutely no reason to panic, especially if it’s been more than 3 weeks since your dose.
The recommendation to pause J&J vaccine distribution comes after six women ages 18-48 were found to have central venous sinus thrombosis (blood clot in the veins of the brain) and thrombocytopenia (low platelets) within two weeks of getting this shot. It is still unknown whether the blood clots and the vaccine are related. This pause is in place to provide time for further investigation and to alert doctors about identification and treatment of this unusual condition (CVST plus thrombocytopenia).
More importantly, the government’s transparency and recommendation to pause tells us that our public health institutions are monitoring vaccine events closely and acting to ensure safety. This is critical to maintain trust in our public health institutions like the CDC and FDA.
6.8 million Americans have received the J&J vaccine so far, making these six cases extremely rare. The CDC and FDA’s investigation will inform patients, physicians, and other health care clinicians of the safest recommendations as we move forward.
If you received the J&J vaccine and have experienced symptoms including severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks of your injection, please contact your healthcare team.
We are in a race to get shots into arms quickly without compromising safety. We are so fortunate that in the United States, this pause will not disrupt mRNA vaccine distribution and will not significantly slow down our vaccination rates. The consequences of this pause globally are still unknown, but we hope that it allows us to clarify the risks and then resume distribution. Until then, it is critical that we stay vigilant, follow public health guidance, and not let our guards down with the end of this pandemic in sight.