CDC and FDA Call for Pause on Administration of J&J Vaccine

April 12, 2021

This morning, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a Joint CDC and FDA Statement on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine. Based on six reported cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot, HHS recommends that vaccine providers pause on administering the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is meeting on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, and will provide updates. CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will provide additional information and answer questions later today at a media briefing. A recording of that media call will be available on the FDA’s YouTube channel.

People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider. Health care providers are asked to report adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.