Federal entities lifted the pause on the use of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine this past Saturday, April 24.
Both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a safety review and determined that the vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19.
The decision comes after CDC’s independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reviewed data related to recent reports of a rare and severe type of blood clot that occurred in some individuals after receiving the vaccine.
“We are grateful to the scientists and clinicians conducting this thorough review and are confident in moving forward in distributing and administering the vaccine,” the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said in a statement.
In a statement, Erica Pan, state epidemiologist with CDPH, supported the recommendation to lift the pause on the vaccine.
Pan noted that clinics can begin administering the vaccine as long as they provide appropriate educational materials to inform patients of the vaccine’s low risk of associated health effects.
“The one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine is an important tool in our fight to stop the spread of COVID-19,” she wrote. “We hope to continue to make progress in getting more Californians vaccinated so we can move beyond this pandemic.”
