Is the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine Safe?

Photo+by+Manatee+County+Government%2C+Taken+on+December+22%2C+2020%2C+All+Rights+Reserved+COVID+VACCINE+%7C+Manatee+County+Government+%7C+Flickr+%0A

Photo by Manatee County Government, Taken on December 22, 2020, All Rights Reserved COVID VACCINE | Manatee County Government | Flickr

 In the U.S, there are currently three COVID vaccines being administered to citizens all around the country. They are known as Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson. 

It is normal for people to experience cold-like symptoms after receiving any sort of vaccination. This could consist of fatigue, headache or nausea.

After receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, most have had a normal experience with them and returned to their daily routines. 

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine was the third vaccination to be available to the public. It is known as a viral vector vaccine. The vaccine uses adenovirus, which is a virus that cannot make new virus particles. The coronavirus protein gene is added to the adenovirus and trains the immune system to fight COVID-19.

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine has been called to a halt as a result of people getting a rare blood clot. There were 6 cases of blood clots six-thirteen days after receiving the vaccine. 

The CDC wanted to hold off on administering any more vaccines so more research could be done to improve the flaws. 

“CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance,” the statement said. “FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases. Until that process is complete, we are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution. This is important, in part, to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot” Dr. Anne Schuchat and Dr. Peter Marks says. 

Although the side effects of the vaccine do happen in some cases, they are said to be “extremely rare”. 

When testing the vaccine, it is hard to see all of the possible outcomes because there are not millions of people enrolled. Symptoms and side effects of new drugs vary depending on the person, this is a known fact. 

The FDA and the CDC quickly paused the vaccine when their attention was brought to the blood clots. They wanted to make sure it was completely safe until they had a full understanding of all the cons of the vaccine. 

“But I want to congratulate the CDC and the FDA for very quickly jumping on it, halting the vaccinations until we know more, and really trying to understand what’s going on,” Del Rio said. “I think vaccine safety has always been a priority — and I think this is exactly the right move until we understand what’s going on and what’s the way forward” the associate Dean of Emory University, Dr. Carlos del Rio stated. 

The pause of the vaccine took place because on the list of potential side effects of the vaccine, this rare type of blood clot is not listed.