A panel of health advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given preference to the mRNA COVID vaccines for adults 18 and over.
According to NBC News, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices unanimously voted to recommend the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines over Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose jab. The vote, which was announced Thursday, was primarily based on rare but serious blood clotting issues linked to the J&J Janssen shot. U.S. agencies temporarily halted the use of the vaccine back in April, after a number of women experienced blood clots following their vaccinations. Federal health officials lifted the pause just 10 days later.
It’s reported that more than 200 million Americans have been fully vaccinated; of that group, about 16 million received the J&J shot.
“I really cannot recommend a vaccine that has been associated with a condition that may lead to death,” said Dr. Pablo Sanchez, a committee member and pediatrician at Ohio’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the blood clotting issues are seen mostly in women between the ages of 30 and 49. There have been a total of 54 confirmed clot cases as of Thursday: 37 of those were with women and 17 in men. CDC’s Dr. Isaac See said there have been at least nine deaths linked to the clotting disorder. The majority of those people reportedly had underlying health conditions, including diabetes and hypertension.
“We’ve been struck on reviewing these cases by how rapidly patient status deteriorates and results in death,” Dr. See told the panel, per CNBC.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has yet to approve the recommendation.
