A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee did not vote Wednesday whether to extend the nation’s break on Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, after committee experts said there was not yet enough data to make final recommendations in light of serious facts rare blood clotting events potentially related to strokes.
While the CDC’s current break on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is not mandatory, the warning issued by federal health officials on Tuesday called for the suspension of vaccinations only until the group voted “updated recommendations” for vaccine use. In response to FDA and CDC recommendations regarding the break, all states and DC and Puerto Rico have opted to temporarily discontinue the administration of this vaccine.
The CDC has not yet decided to resume the group’s discussion on the issue.
“Your contribution today has been incredibly helpful in helping us inform our work next week,” said Dr. Amanda Cohn, the federal agency’s designated officer for the advisory committee.
“To be very honest, I don’t want to vote on this issue today,” Dr. Beth Bell, a member of the commission and a senior CDC infectious disease official, told the committee.
“I just don’t think there was enough information to make an evidence-based decision. We will not have all the information, but I think there are a few things we can gather relatively quickly, all of which are related to the benefit of risk balance, “added Dr. Bell.
A working group within the group said it discussed a wide range of options this week, including recommending the use of the vaccine only to certain groups of people or abandoning the vaccine altogether, but concluded that they needed more data on these and other possible cases that could be reported.
White House officials said the break in Johnson & Johnson vaccinations could have an impact on the nationwide “short-term” vaccination campaign, but insisted that supplies from Pfizer and Moderna were sufficient to meet their targets.
Ongoing studies of the single-injection vaccine were discontinued after the initial break. The launch of the vaccine abroad was also discontinued following the recommendation, as well as key programs launched by US state and local authorities to use the vaccines to vaccinate hard-to-reach communities.
“We are in a situation where making a decision is tantamount to making a decision. Any extension of the break will invariably result in the most vulnerable individuals in the United States, who have been primary candidates for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, remaining vulnerable, “Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah, president of the Association of State and Territory Health Officials, told the committee.
Representatives of Johnson & Johnson, the Food and Drug Administration and CDC officials made presentations to the committee, presenting a handful of new details about the cases known so far.