US health authorities have recommended that vaccination sites suspend the use of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine to investigate rare cases of blood clots. The move comes after European health regulators said they were investigating reports of clots in four people who were shot by J&J, while also looking at the clotting of people who received a Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca PLC and University of Oxford.
Why is the J&J vaccine discontinued?
US health authorities have recommended a break while investigating six reported cases of blood clots, including one death. Six women, aged between 18 and 48, were reported to have experienced clots as well as low levels of platelets, which help with clotting.
Cases have been extremely rare – more than 6.8 million doses have been administered in the US so far – but the US Food and Drug Administration has said it makes the recommendation with extreme caution. Regulators and researchers still don’t know if vaccines cause side effects or anything.
What are the symptoms of blood clots that I should consider?
If you have received the J&J vaccine in the last three weeks, you should look for symptoms such as severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or difficulty breathing. If you have any of these symptoms, which differ from the general symptoms that people have reported after vaccination, you should contact your doctor or other healthcare provider.
For each of the six cases of coagulation, the symptoms appeared six to 13 days after vaccination, while flulike symptoms tend to appear within a day or so of the administration of the vaccine.