BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Idaho’s public health agency is recommending that health care providers stop using a Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine for now while federal agencies investigate reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots.
The recommendation from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare came Tuesday morning, shortly after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration recommended a national “pause” on use of the single-dose vaccine also called Janssen.
“We are monitoring it very closely until we learn more,” state epidemiologist Dr. Christine Hahn said in a prepared statement. “If you have a scheduled appointment to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, please work with your vaccine provider to postpone your appointment until we learn more or consider getting a different vaccine.”
About 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in the U.S. so far, including 30,673 doses in Idaho - the vast majority with no or mild side effects.
The CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating six cases, including one death, involving women between the ages of 18 and 48 who experienced unusual clots six to 13 days after vaccination. None of the cases were in Idaho.
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