13 July 2021
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday added a warning to the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, saying the shot can lead to an increased risk of a rare neurological condition.
Driving the news: Although the chance of developing Guillain–Barré syndrome is "very low," the neurological disorder has occurred in some people who have received the J&J vaccine, the FDA said in its updated fact sheet for recipients of the shot.
- Federal officials have identified around 100 suspected cases of the disease among J&J vaccine recipients based on preliminary reports provided by patients and health care workers.
- Over 12.8 million people have received the J&J COVID vaccine, according to the CDC.
- The reports show that symptoms developed within roughly 42 days of vaccination.
Yes, but: "Although the available evidence suggests an association between the Janssen vaccine and increased risk of GBS, it is insufficient to establish a causal relationship," an FDA official told Axios.
- "Importantly, the FDA has evaluated the available information for the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine and continues to find the known and potential benefits clearly outweigh the known and potential risks."
- There is no link between the disease and the vaccines developed by Pfizer or Moderna.
- "In the United States, nearly all COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are now occurring in unvaccinated people," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement on Monday. "The risk of severe adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination remains rare."
The big picture: Johnson & Johnson has faced numerous setbacks in its vaccine deployment, including production delays, ruined doses and a safety pause after blood clots emerged as a side effect.
Worth noting: Around 3,000 to 6,000 people develop Guillain–Barré syndrome every year in the U.S. It's usually triggered by a respiratory or gastrointestinal infection, per the CDC. Most people fully recover.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.