A healthcare worker holds a vaccine.
An advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines over Johnson & Johnson's shot for adults 18 and over, after finding dozens of people developed a rare blood clot condition following the vaccine.
Pfizer and Moderna were recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. First shots and boosters are recommended. Rochelle Walensky is the CDC Director.
54 people have been confirmed by the CDC to have developed blood clot and have low blood platelet levels, a new condition called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome that affects younger women. Nine people died and 36 were treated in intensive care after being hospitalized.
Since the FDA authorized the shot on an emergency basis in February, the U.S. has administered 17 million J&J doses.
The TTS case reporting rates are higher than previous estimates in men and women, according to Dr. Keipp Talbot, chair of the CDC's vaccine and safety subgroup.
Some members of the panel wrestled with the vote on the recommendation. The experts at the CDC could have recommended pulling the shot or limiting it to certain groups.
The patients who died were all women and two of them were men. Most of the people who died had underlying health conditions. The death rate was reported by the CDC.
The CDC's vaccine safety team told the advisory panel that they were struck by how quickly patient status deteriorated and resulted in death.
According to the CDC, patients develop symptoms 9 days after they receive a vaccine and are hospitalized 5 days later. The majority of patients were women, with a median age of 44. Seventeen men have TTS.
During the meeting, Johnson & Johnson'sPenny Heaton defended the company's shot, saying it is saving lives here in the USA and on every continent around the globe.
It is easy to store and transport. In low and middle income countries, our vaccine is the most important and sometimes the only option even in the US, given its durable protection may be the preferred choice for people who can't or won't return for multiple vaccinations.
The condition can be fatal, though the cases are rare, and J&J recognizes the incidents of TTS associated with the vaccine. J&J has several studies underway to identify risk factors associated with the development of TTS.
Six adult women developed blood clot and low blood platelet levels at the same time, and the FDA and CDC temporarily stopped the use of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine.
The FDA and the CDC lifted the pause on J&J shots after an independent advisory panel said the benefits of the shots outweigh the risks. The panel didn't recommend limiting the shots to age or gender. The FDA should add a warning label for women younger than 50.
The FDA has told health-care providers not to give a J&J booster to people who have a history of developing TTS after the first shot. The J&J shot shouldn't be given to people who received the vaccine, even though it's not authorized for use in the U.S.
The number of people who have received J&J booster doses is relatively small and no TTS cases have been identified in them.
The FDA said in a factsheet for health-care providers that there is evidence that supports a relationship between TTS and the vaccine.
The FDA and CDC authorized J&J boosters for all adults at least two months after receiving their initial J&J shot. According to CDC data, more than 800,00 people have received J&J boosters. The Pfizer or Moderna vaccines can be used to boost the immunity of people who received the J&J shot.
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