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FDA recommends pausing J&J COVID vaccine after 6 reported cases of blood clots

13 April 2021
 Dan Ackermann

The U.S. FDA on Tuesday recommended an immediate halt of the use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, citing cases of a rare blood clot disorder that six women developed within two weeks of receiving the shot.

Why it matters: The recommendation was issued "out of an abundance of caution" as health officials review data and alternative treatments, but it could risk slowing down the U.S. vaccine rollout.

The big picture: Nearly 7 million doses of the shot have been administered in the U.S., and another 9 million have been shipped out to the states.

  • The six women who developed the blood clots were between the ages of 18 and 48, according to the FDA.
  • The FDA green-lighted the vaccine for emergency use on Feb. 27. The U.S. will stop administering the vaccine at federal sites and recommends that states do the same.

What they're saying: "Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare," the CDC wrote in a statement with the FDA.

  • "Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered."
  • "Usually, an anticoagulant drug called heparin is used to treat blood clots. In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given."

What to watch: The agencies will provide a press briefing on Tuesday at 10 a.m., and will convene a meeting on Wednesday to "review these cases and assess their potential significance."

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly 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.