(CNN) – Vaccine Advisors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will meet Friday to make recommendations on the use of the Johnson & Johnson covid-19 vaccine after it was suspended to investigate a possible clot connection. of severe blood.
The CDC and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended a break in the use of the J&J coronavirus vaccine last week, after six cases were reported in the country.
They are investigating if there are more cases and if other types of blood clots could be associated with the vaccine. The break was also meant to give experts time to inform doctors about how to look for and treat these clots.
The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met on April 14, but members said they needed more information about the J&J vaccine and blood clots.
Dr. William Schaffner, a non-voting member of ACIP and a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told CNN that the committee delayed a decision because there would likely be more reports of blood clots. , and members need to understand the demographics of these cases.
Scenarios of what could happen to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
Schaffner said Friday’s meeting could be conducted in different ways.
ACIP could recommend that the use of the vaccine be resumed unchanged or the committee could recommend that the J&J vaccine be discontinued in its entirety in the United States.
Schaffner said ACIP is more likely to recommend resuming vaccine use with a warning of potential side effects and potential advice for populations at higher risk of staying away from the vaccine.
ACIP President Dr. José Romero told CNN that the committee also has the option of recommending continuing the hiatus until more information is gathered, although he believes enough data has been generated at this time for ACIP to make a decision. .
Romero said he has not yet considered the data to be considered on Friday, but does not believe the commission will decide to recommend a complete cessation of vaccine use in the United States.
“CDC scientists can estimate what the risk-benefit analysis would be, and this will certainly inform us in our decision,” Romero said. “Anyone using the vaccine, as with any vaccine in this country, should be informed of any risks associated with it.”
Romero noted that a possible booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine may eventually need to be considered.
“If there is a high-risk population that is told not to receive the vaccine, then I imagine the CDC will make recommendations on what the alternative vaccine would be for that group,” Romero said.
What does Johnson & Johnson say?
Dr. Paul Stoffels, J & J’s scientific director, said Tuesday that the company believes the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.
“The safety and well-being of people using our product is our number one priority and we strongly support knowing the signs and symptoms of this extremely rare event to ensure a correct diagnosis, proper treatment and accelerated reporting by healthcare professionals,” Stoffels said. said.
Romero, who also serves as Arkansas’ health secretary, said there could be additional recommendations for states and physicians on how to administer J&J vaccine doses that have already been distributed. He said he believes states will accept the committee’s recommendations.
“My advice to the governor as we move forward will be, ‘Let’s see what the CDC says,'” Romero said. “It is more than likely – I mean more than 98% – I will say that I agree with the recommendations issued by the committee and that these are the ones we must follow in our state.”
While there is some concern that the J&J vaccine break fuels hesitation to get the vaccine, an Axios-Ipsos poll released Tuesday showed that 88% of Americans believe the CDC and FDA act responsibly when they recommend the break.
“I really believe and really hope that the American public will look at this hiatus and look at what we did during this hiatus as an indication of how safe the vaccination system and vaccination process is in this country,” he said. said Romero.
Will this affect the supply of vaccines in the United States?
President Joe Biden and other officials have said that any decision on the COVID-19 vaccine will not hinder the vaccination effort in the United States.
The FDA on Monday requested that the J&J vaccine be stopped at a Baltimore Emergent BioSolutions facility, while conducting an investigation into the contamination that affected at least one batch of J&J vaccine.
“We want to convey to the American public that we have two vaccines available, Pfizer and Moderna, and people should continue to vaccinate you,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said last week.
Walensky said that while the CDC is conducting a risk-benefit analysis of the J&J vaccine, the agency has contacted more than 10,000 providers to tell them what to look out for if others face similar adverse events.
Those who have received the J&J vaccine in the past three weeks have a very low risk of developing a rare blood clot that will diminish over time, says the CDC. The agency recommends that those who experience certain symptoms, such as a sudden and severe headache, swelling of the legs and difficulty breathing, seek medical treatment immediately.
– CNN’s Naomi Thomas, Ryan Prior, Jen Christensen, Virginia Langmaid, Ashley Ahn and Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.