The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory board declined to take action to release the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, keeping the distribution of the company’s vaccine “paused” while researchers continue investigating potential side effects, NBC News reports.
The experts on the committee said they didn’t have enough evidence to make a decision about the J&J vaccine, which has been linked to patients developing a rare form of blood clot in the brain as well as a drop in platelets in the blood. Six people in the United States who received the J&J vaccine have developed the blood clots in the brain, while three others have developed blood clots in other parts of their bodies. One of the patients died.
The single-dose J&J vaccine had been a hoped-for addition to the arsenal of vaccines against the coronavirus, joining two-dose versions from Pfizer and Moderna.
Although the side effects of the J&J vaccine happen in rare occasions, they are treatable should the patient recognize them and seek medical attention.