NYC Halts Use Of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Over Blood Clot Fears

This story has been updated Tuesday at 10:21 a.m. to reflect the city is canceling Johnson & Johnson appointments.

NEW YORK CITY — New York City and the state will pause use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine over blood clot concerns.

The pause follows the recommendation of CDC and FDA officials on Tuesday. The agencies are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases — out of nearly 7 million doses administered — of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the vaccine.

New York will halt use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine at its state-run mass vaccination sites like Javits Center, the state's health Commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement.

"All appointments for Johnson & Johnson vaccines today at New York State mass vaccination sites will be honored with the Pfizer vaccine," Zucker said Tuesday.

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday said the city will act "immediately" on the recommendation. All New Yorkers scheduled to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine through city-run sites will get a new appointment with either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, he said.

“Here in the city we are immediately pausing all Johnson & Johnson vaccinations,” he said.

New York City's government heavily relied on the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine for its homebound seniors vaccination program, a mobile vaccination bus and other efforts reaching people for whom it'd be more difficult to do a two-shot inoculation.

The city received 15,100 doses for the week starting April 8, according to CDC data. Overall, the city had distributed 234,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, de Blasio said.

"Thank God, no reports at all to date of any blood clots," he said.

Council Member Mark Levine tweeted it's a "huge setback" for the city's vaccination effort.

"The J&J news is a huge blow to vaccination in NYC," he tweeted. "No official word yet on on cancellation of existing J&J appts but I am assuming that will happen effective immediately. I know this was done to maintain confidence in the vaccines. Worried it will have the opposite effect."

The FDA announced on Twitter it recommended the pause "out of an abundance of caution." About 6.8 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been distributed nationwide and, of those, there were six reported cases of a rare and severe blood clot in people who received the vaccine.

"Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare," the FDA tweeted.

"Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered," it tweeted.

The CDC will conduct a review of cases, during which the FDA will continue the recommended pause.

"This is important to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot," the FDA tweeted.