A Recap of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine Craze: Why its Pause was Necessary in the United States
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By Masatami Cauller
n Tuesday April 13th, 2021, the US rollout of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot Covid-19 vaccine was paused ^CT TCT ] TTC 3;A⁄4k^ k;C CHC4CTC kC; fC fAl TfC CDC ACCCT ]T DkCC CTA and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) came together to formally recommend a pause in J&J covid R44kC ;kTk3k ^CT ] kß 4C ] fC 3;A⁄4 k;C CHC4 CTC TCTC;Al kf W RCT CRC million Americans already given the shot at the time of its pausing, six total cases of blood clots were reported all in C ^C ªA⁄ ªV A‘ 3CCC kß fkTCC ; ^CT TC4CkRk^ fC kkk fAl S4kCk[4A‘ fk TC4k k 4C; 4CTC3T RC k fT3k ACVSTAA‘ fCTC 3; 4 ]k^ k ; fC 3Tk 4 4C CTk 3;k damage and in some cases, even death. Dr. Anthony Fauci--head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases--supported the FDA’s and CDC’s decision, stating that they were utilizing “an abundance of caution” and emphasized the temporary state of the vaccine’s pausing.
What is CVST and Why Has it Become Apparent in the J&J Covid Vaccine? CVST k CßTCC TTC ]T ] TCA‘ fk4f 34 3; ]T CRk^ fC 3TkAl I HC4 [RC CC in a million, and symptoms include blurred vision, headaches, seizures, and potentially death. The reason why CVST resulted from the vaccine is because of thrombocytopenia, a medical condition where blood cells that help form blood clots (called platelets) become reduced to increasingly low levels, causing uncontrollable bleeding. The six patients experiencing CVST from the vaccine were previously diagnosed with thrombocytopenia, which created an adverse reaction to the vaccine’s antibodies. Normally, white blood cells target any antibodies deemed dangerous to the body by 3k;k^ kf fCA‘ 3 k fC 4C ] fC kf fT34CkA‘ fCkT fkC 3; 4C 3k; kf ;kHCTC TCk triggering their blood cells to develop clots. These clots are both unnecessary and dangerous for the body to make and with a vast amount of clots spreading throughout the body and having no way of stopping them, CVST symptoms ;CRC fCC 4 TC CRk^ fC 3TkAl I ;;kkA‘ k;kRk; HCTk^ ]T CkfCT CVST T fT34Ck take blood thinners as treatments for these clots, but medical research states otherwise: in this case, such medication could make the situation worse. This lack of treatment supports the CDC’s and FDA’s decision to pause the shot, wanting to gain more information about the situation at hand.
The FDA’s, ACIP’s, and CDC’s Decision to Reinstate the Vaccine: A^CT kkk C;Tk^ fC k^ ] JJ CRk;A⁄ R44kC TC; Tk A fA‘ A‘ ^T ] fC FDAA‘ CDCA‘ and ACIP met twice on April 14th, 2021 and April 23rd, 2021 to discuss the state of the vaccine and potential solutions ]T 3Tk^k^ k 34Al O fC k^f ] fC T;A‘ ]C;CT fCf I4k TCTCCk^ fCC ^T ;C4k;C; k A⁄ V RC k^ fC C ] fC R44kCA‘ k^ fC 3CC[ ] fC f ]T Ck^f Tk ] TTC C ] 3; 4Al I CHT 4kT4RC ;;kk CVST 4C ; ^CCT ßkC 3 fC R44kCA‘ fC FDA ; Jf Jf have now updated the vaccine’s label to strictly specify a warning about developing blood clots like CVST. Acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock had this to say about the 10-4 decision: “We have concluded that the known and potential 3CC[ ] fC AO Jf JfA CRk;A⁄ R44kC Ck^f k ; Ck TkAl Tfk k ;C4kk fC ^C4kC TC4fC; k^f ; CATC 4[;C f fC R44kC CC T T3 ;T; ]T ]CA‘ CHC4kRCC ; kAlA” ORCTA‘ fk ;C4kk C ; ]C;CT I4k 4C ^k TCC ^kRk^ fC R44kCA‘ ; T4C;TC will include giving fact sheets and additional communication materials about the shot’s potential symptoms and fCfA⁄4TC TRk;CT ;Rk4CAl B ;;TCk^ 4f 4k4k ; C4k[4 k;Ck]k^ ^T fk^fCT Tk ]T developing serious blood clots, Americans can safely resume the J&J vaccination process. Ultimately, having a third R44kC 34 k fC UAlSAl 4 fC R44kk ^ k fC ^ ] TC4fk^ fCT; kkA‘ C4k[4 3C4C fC JJ vaccine only requires one dose. 4 ASIAN OUTLOOK
