Decision to resume use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine could come Friday

A decision on whether to resume use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine could come as early as Friday.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee is expected to meet and discuss the investigation into the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six people developed rare blood clots after receiving the vaccine.

The CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended temporarily halting use of the vaccine in early April. FOX News reported CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said she is "really hopeful" that the one-and-done shot "can be used again soon."

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The committee is set to decide whether to issue new guidance regarding the vaccine. A European Union panel decided this week to resume use of the J&J vaccine with a safety warning, listing unusual blood clots and low platelets as very rare side effects of the vaccine.

European Medicines Agency Executive Director Emer Cooke said, "In the vast majority of cases these vaccines are going to prevent death and hospitalizations from COVID-19....So we always have to balance the benefits of a vaccine with the potential risks."

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If the J&J vaccine is authorized for use again, local vaccine sites like Valencia College West could go back to its original plan of offering the vaccine. The state-run site had switched to administering the J&J vaccine earlier this month but went back to offering the Pfizer vaccine after the pause on the J&J shot.