A vial containing five doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. (Marta Lavandier/AP)
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is asking all providers in the state to immediately pause distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after federal officials on Tuesday recommended a halt due to reports of rare blood clots.
The DPH said in a statement that the directive is being given out of an abundance of caution as the CDC and FDA review six reported cases of the rare condition, none of which have occurred in Massachusetts. Individuals who have received a J&J vaccine should contact their physician if they have concerns, the statement said.
Pause Of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine May Not Mean Much For Mass. In Short Term
School bus driver John Sullivan, left, accepts a sticker from volunteer Colleen McNamara, right, as he departs a Boston Public Schools vaccination clinic, Sunday, March 14, 2021, in Boston.
Steven Senne / AP
Share
Today, the FDA recommended a pause on the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to investigate reports that several people developed severe blood clots after receiving the shot. Massachusetts was already anticipating a sizable drop in the number of J&J shots it was set to receive in the coming weeks after a contamination at its manufacturing plant forced the company to scrap millions of doses.
RIDOH pauses administration of Johnson & Johnson vaccine abc6.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from abc6.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Massachusetts Officials Pause Administration Of J&J Vaccine
A nurse fills a syringe with a dose of the Johnson & Johnson s one-dose COVID-19 vaccine.
Mary Altaffer / AP
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health followed the advice of federal authorities on Tuesday and ordered a stop to the administration of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine.
“The Department of Public Health is notifying all Massachusetts providers to pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, effective immediately,” the agency said in a tweet.
In a joint statement Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said they were investigating clots in six women that occurred in the days after vaccination.