The
CDC said in a presentation the agency has now identified 28 cases of
thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) among the more than
8.7 million people who had received the J&J vaccine. TTS involves
blood clots accompanied by a low level of platelets - the cells in
the blood that help it to clot.
So far, three of the 28 have died. Previously, as of April 25, the
CDC had reported 17 cases of clotting among nearly 8 million people
given vaccines.
The benefits of the vaccine still outweigh the risk and no updates
to vaccine policy are needed at this time, CDC official Dr. Sara
Oliver said.
She was speaking at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices or ACIP, which advises the U.S. CDC.
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ACIP recommended on April 23 that the U.S. lift a 10-day pause on
the J&J vaccinations imposed to review safety data on the clotting
issue.
The CDC said on Wednesday the events appear similar to what is being
observed following administration of the AstraZeneca COVID-19
vaccine in Europe.
Both vaccines are based on a new technology using adenoviruses,
which cause the common cold, that have been modified to essentially
render them harmless. The viruses are used to carry instructions
into the body to make specific coronavirus proteins, priming the
immune system to make antibodies that fight off the actual virus.
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Scientists are working to find the potential mechanism that would
explain the blood clots. A leading hypothesis appears to be that the
vaccines are triggering a rare immune response that could be related
to these viral vectors.
The syndrome does not appear to be associated with either of the
COVID-19 vaccines produce by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SA or Moderna
Inc.
Most of the cases were among women aged 18 to 49, the CDC said, with
rates among women aged 30-39 at 12.4 cases per million and those
aged 40-49 at 9.4 cases per million.
Only six of the clotting events identified were in men.
Symptoms typically occur several days after vaccination to up to 2
weeks.
ACIP member Dr. Sarah Long, professor of pediatrics at Drexel
University College of Medicine said she was very concerned about the
CDC's decision to not add any additional restrictions on the J&J
vaccine. Dr. Long said she believed that younger women should be
informed of the risks and give consent before receiving their shot.
(Reporting by Michael Erman and Julie Steenhuysen; additional
reporting by Allison Martell in Toronto; editing by John Stonestreet,
Bernadette Baum, Philippa Fletcher and Diane Craft)
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