NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s Department of Health has announced that it will “pause” distributing the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine following new guidance from the federal government.
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said they were investigating unusual and severe blood clots that occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination.
The FDA commissioner said she expected the pause to last a matter of days.
The Tennessee Department of Health said the pause was part of “necessary precautions” even though reports of the adverse events following the J&J vaccine administration are rare — currently just six cases out of nearly 7 million doses distributed.