ACIP voted unanimously on Thursday afternoon on ‘updated recommendations for use’ of the single-dose vaccine<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
THURSDAY, Dec. 16, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Following continued reports of a rare but life-threatening clotting condition linked to the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, a federal advisory panel on Thursday recommended that the Pfizer and Moderna shots be the preferred choices for Americans.<\/p>\n
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted unanimously on Thursday afternoon on “updated recommendations for use” of the single-dose vaccine. The expert panel heard updated information about thrombosis and thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), the rare blood clotting condition that has been linked to the J&J vaccine, but not to the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.<\/p>\n
So far, about 16 million people have been fully vaccinated with the J&J vaccine<\/a> in the United States, compared with about 73 million with Moderna and more than 113 million with Pfizer. Right now, the J&J vaccine is authorized for use in people 18 years and older, and can be used as a booster shot for adults fully vaccinated with the J&J, Pfizer, or Moderna vaccines.<\/p>\n According to The <\/em>New York Times, <\/em>evidence has emerged suggesting that the risk from the J&J vaccine of developing TTS, although still exceedingly rare, was larger than originally thought. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed data showing that a total of 54 cases had been reported in people who had received the shot by the end of August. That works out to 3.8 cases per 1 million people — still very low, but higher than was originally estimated.<\/p>\n One of the advisory panel members, Pablo Sanchez, M.D., a pediatrician at Ohio State University, said he was already telling patients to get other vaccines. “I’m not recommending [the J&J vaccine] to any of my patients’ parents and I tell them to stay away from it,” he told The <\/em>Times.<\/em><\/p>\n On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration weighed in on the vaccine and said people with a history of TTS should not get the J&J vaccine. “You should not get the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine if you had a severe allergic reaction after a previous dose of this vaccine; had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient of this vaccine; had a blood clot along with a low level of platelets following Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine or following AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine [not authorized or approved in the United States],” the agency said in an updated fact sheet<\/a> for vaccine recipients and caregivers.<\/p>\n Both the CDC and the FDA have said people who receive the J&J vaccine — particularly women younger than 50 years — should watch for symptoms a week or two after a shot that include severe or persistent headaches or blurred vision; shortness of breath; chest pain; leg swelling; persistent abdominal pain; or easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the injection site. If any of those symptoms develop, people should seek medical care immediately.<\/p>\n