Administration Of The Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 Vaccine Resumes

The pause on the administration of the Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine has been lifted. On Friday, the CDC and FDA said the label for the shot will have to be updated to warn of the potential blood clot risks. FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said “We have concluded that the known and potential benefits of the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine outweigh its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age and older.”  The administration of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine was cleared to resume immediately after the meeting.

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices members were worried that taking one of the three vaccines approved for administration out of the mix would slow efforts to immunize the population against the virus. They also agreed that having a one-shot vaccine that doesn’t require refrigeration was valuable and preferred by many who don’t want to come back for a second dose or struggle to make two vaccine appointments. In a statement Dr. Rochelle Walensky said “For every 1 million doses of this vaccine, the J&J vaccine could prevent over 650 hospitalizations and 12 deaths among women aged 18 to 49, and this vaccine could prevent over 4,700 hospitalizations and nearly 600 deaths among women over 50.”