The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) expert vaccine panel voted unanimously Thursday to recommend mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 over the offering from Johnson & Johnson.
In a 15-0 vote, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that all U.S. adults get an mRNA vaccine made by Moderna or Pfizer rather than the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, if possible. The panel cited rare but serious side effects associated with the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
41. @CDCgov‘s vaccine advisers vote unanimously to preferentially recommend mRNA vaccines over the J&J vaccine, because of concerns about TTS. https://t.co/ojXG85jDod
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) December 16, 2021
The experts reviewed data showing additional cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), a rare but serious clotting condition sometimes associated with vaccines produced like Johnson & Johnson’s. It’s also been seen in some recipients of the Astrazeneca vaccine, which is produced the same way but isn’t authorized for use in the U.S.
There have only been 54 cases of TTS found in J&J vaccine recipients in the U.S. so far, but nine of those patients have died. There have been about 17 million doses of the shot given in the U.S. (RELATED: ‘These Are Very Rare Events’: Doctors Emphasize Low Number Of Blood Clots After Vaccine Pause)
Less than 4% of vaccinated Americans have received the Johnson & Johnson jab. The shot hasn’t gained as much market share as the options from Moderna or Pfizer, in part due to concerns about the clotting which resulted in a halting of its use earlier this year for over a week. The company also ran into production issues earlier in 2021, slowing down distribution of the shots.