The Food and Drug Administration issued a statement early Tuesday morning recommending to pause all Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines due to a rare blood clot, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, that could form in women who get the vaccine.
So far, six women between the ages of 18 and 48 have developed cases of CVST out of the 6.8 million people who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to the statement.
The Ingham County Health Department announced in a press release that they will be pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and replace them with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
“The Ingham County Health Department (ICHD) has paused all use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not affected by the pause and are now being used for all scheduled vaccine appointments at ICHD. No appointments were canceled." said the ICHD in the release.
MSU announced a partnership with the state of Michigan last week to open a vaccination center on campus for students using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Michigan State announced today that it is working with the Ingham County Health Department to get a different vaccine due to the pause recommendation.
“MSU is working with our partners at the Ingham County Health Department on a solution that adheres to the pause request on Johnson & Johnson vaccines and allows our students to get a different COVID-19 vaccine during their appointment times today and through the rest of the week,” the university said in a statement on their website.
Michigan State Spokesperson Dan Olsen told the State News via text that the University will continue to vaccinate students with the Pfizer vaccine starting today and for the rest of the vaccination appointments this week.
The FDA recommends that Johnson & Johnson should not be administered until the CDC completes a full investigation to review the cases and their significance.
“Safety is our highest priority. It is important that the CDC and the FDA take time to investigate these rare but serious adverse events,” said Ingham County Health Officer Linda S. Vail in the ICHD press release. “The pause is a sign that our vaccine reporting and investigation systems are working to ensure safety. It is a sign that the CDC and the FDA are exercising extreme caution with the vaccines. ICHD will await their investigation before taking further action.”
Editor's Note: This article was updated to include new information provided by Michigan State University and statements from the Ingham County Health Department.
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