State directs providers to halt use of J&J vaccine

In response to a recommendation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Massachusetts COVID Command Center and Department of Public Health this morning directed all providers to immediately pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

The FDA and CDC are recommending the pause due to “an extremely rare condition” reported in six individuals nationwide.

The DPH said the action is being taken “out of an abundance of caution” as the FDA and CDC review these six cases, none of which are known to be linked to Massachusetts.

The FDA reports that more than 6.8 million doses of J&J have been administered nationwide. As of April 12, 181,034 doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in Massachusetts, according to the DPH.

The CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine. Right now, these conditions appear to be extremely rare, according to the COVID Command Center.

The CDC is scheduled to convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices tomorrow to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. The FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these issues.

The DPH advises individuals who have appointments scheduled for a J&J vaccine and have questions about their upcoming appointment to contact the provider they booked with directly. Individuals who have received the J&J vaccine are encouraged to contact their physician if they have concerns.

Details are not yet available about any resulting disruption to the state’s vaccine program.