DENVER (AP) Colorado says it is requiring providers to suspend the administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, following the recommendation of federal officials who are investigating reports of potentially dangerous blood clots in a handful of vaccine recipients.
Colorado's Department of Public Health and Environment announced the pause on Tuesday, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said they were investigating unusual clots that occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. All six cases were in women between the ages of 18 and 48; there was one death.
The department says the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine is a small portion of Colorados weekly vaccine allocation and that most vaccine clinics aren't affected. Colorado's vaccine allocation this week includes nearly 280,000 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and 9,700 of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The state says that people scheduled to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine instead. Some may have their vaccine appointments rescheduled. Colorado's mobile vaccination buses, which administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, are canceled Tuesday and Wednesday.
A CDC panel will review the cases of blood clots at an emergency meeting Wednesday.