Doctors: Blood clotting disorder in relation to Johnson & Johnson vaccine is extremely rare

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel will meet in a week to provide guidance on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine pause.

News 12 Staff

Apr 17, 2021, 5:18 PM

Updated 1,277 days ago

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A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel will meet in a week to provide guidance on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine pause.
However, the halt is causing hesitation among people still considering whether to get vaccinated.
However, doctors say the issue is complicated and extremely rare.
"When you think about one in a million event, that's, you know, you cross the street every day, you have a much higher chance of getting run over by a car," says Dr. Carlos Del Rio, of Emory University School of Medicine.
Doctors say the very rare blood clotting disorder being studied in relation to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine involves severe blood clots in the brain combined with bleeding due to low levels of platelets.
"It is imperative for health care workers to know that the treatment of these clots is different than our current standard of care," says Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "While we would typically treat blood clots with a medication called Heparin, Heparin and its derivatives should definitively be avoided in the treatment of these clots while an investigation of the causes ongoing.”
As researchers investigate, naturally, people are asking doctors what signs to watch for.
“I would be very attuned to my body and if I develop shortness of breath, if I develop leg pain, if I develop a headache and I'm within two to three weeks of having had Johnson & Johnson vaccine, I would immediately notify my health care provider,” Del Rio recommends.