This morning, News 12's Elizabeth Hashagen was joined by Dr. Lucy McBride to talk about the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
The fate of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be decided today, more than a week after the vaccine's distribution was paused following reports of rare but dangerous blood clots in eight people under the age of 50.
If the panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, decides that the vaccine's benefits outweigh the potential risk, then the government is likely to end the pause.
The Oregon health authorities reported that a death was being investigated for a possible connection to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The woman who died was in her 50s and had symptoms consistent with the blood clotting cases.
The clotting problem may affect the whole class of so-called viral vector vaccines. European regulators said the blood clots in patients who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine bear close resemblance to 169 cases in Europe reported with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The rate of blood clots with low platelets reported with Pfizer and Moderna is lower than expected for general population.
Below, Dr. Lucy McBride talks about the safety of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines on pregnant women: