The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed more rare blood clotting cases associated with the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine. It stated that over two dozen cases had been reported.
The connection between J&J COVID-19 Vaccine and Blood Clotting
According to Dr. Tom Shimabukuro of the CDC vaccine task force, 28 cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia were reported after administering the J&J vaccine. The cases were reported through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which is the vaccine surveillance system of the US.
Over 8.7 million people had received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The most recent case count is as of May 7. As of April 25, the CDC had recorded 17 cases of blood clots among those who have received the vaccination, reported NBC News.
The CDC sees a "plausible causal association." The cases mentioned above were identified with thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), reported US News.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC, on April 13, asked states to temporarily stop using Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of inundation of caution as it probed into six women, ages 18 to 48, who developed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, or CVST. This is combined with low blood platelets within an estimated two weeks of being administered the dose, reported CNBC.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or ACIP, which provides recommendations to the US CDC, recommended on April 23 that the United States lift a 10-day pause on the J&J vaccines imposed to evaluate safety data on the blood clotting issue. The panel will assess the new data on Wednesday.
The CDC stated the events seem similar to what is being observed following the administration of the AstraZeneca novel coronavirus vaccine in Europe. The syndrome does not appear to be linked with either of the coronavirus vaccines produced by Moderna Inc. or Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SA.
While officials have currently identified a handful of cases in men, women -- particularly those between the ages of 30 and 49 -- appear to remain at higher susceptibility. According to Dr. Shimabukuro, the trend is that the reporting rates are more elevated in females than males in all age categories.
The Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines are based on a new technology using adenoviruses, which cause the common cold, which has been altered to render them harmless. The viruses are used to transport instructions into the body to make distinct COVID-19 proteins, priming the immune system to develop antibodies that combat the actual virus.
A CDC panel later in April voted to resume usage of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. It advised adding a warning.
Nineteen of the patients developed CVST. Four patients remain admitted at the hospital, with one in intensive care.
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