We clarify 4 doubts about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine 4:11
(CNN) -
Vaccine advisers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will hear about new cases of blood clots related to the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine.
The advisers will meet this Friday to discuss how to move forward with the coronavirus vaccine from Janssen, a division of J&J.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is scheduled to meet Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Miami time and vote on the updated recommendations for the use of the vaccine and whether it is likely to be related to a rare blood clotting syndrome called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).
Other groups have called it vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, or VITT, but the ACIP sticks to more neutral language that does not presume that vaccines are causing the condition.
It is characterized by a rare type of blood clot in the brain, and possibly other large blood clots, along with a low number of blood clotting cells called platelets.
Some blood specialists have said they believe it is caused by an unusual immune reaction that attacks platelets, causing them to clot together.
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They ask to pause the application of Johnson & Johnson vaccine 0:57
The ACIP will hear about any additional cases reported since its last meeting earlier in the month.
The cases of six women who suffered from TTS, including one who died, led the CDC and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to recommend a pause in the administration of the vaccine.
ACIP members said they needed more time and information before deciding whether and how to change the recommendations for administering the vaccine.
The CDC will know at least one more case.
Oregon health officials said Thursday night they were investigating the case of a woman in her 50s who died after receiving the vaccine and had symptoms of TTS.
"We are very encouraged by the fact that our safety reporting systems are working," Dr. Shimi Sharief, Senior Health Advisor for the Oregon Health Authority, told reporters at a briefing.
He noted that the coronavirus pandemic continues and is killing people.
"This is still extremely rare," he said, noting that seven cases of blood clots had been reported from nearly seven million J&J vaccines administered, and two of those cases had been fatal.
The CDC will hear from a blood clot expert, Johns Hopkins University Dr. Michael Streiff, who will likely provide information on what is known to treat TTS.
Reports indicate that blood thinners, with the exception of a commonly used blood thinner called heparin, will help dissolve clots, and the use of an immune product called IVIG can help neutralize the erroneous immune response.
ACIP will also hear from two Johnson & Johnson officials.
Johnson & Johnson states that blood clots have been recorded with all vaccines.
Author of the study they cite says they are wrong
Doctor: Clots by AstraZeneca are match 1:50
The risks vs.
the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
ACIP members will consider the potential risks of the vaccine versus the risk of contracting coronavirus.
Blood clot specialists have told CNN that the risk of developing blood clots of all kinds due to coronavirus infection is much higher than the risks seen in people who received the vaccine.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has also been linked to TTS.
The World Health Organization and European medical regulators have said that the benefits of AstraZeneca's vaccine, which is not yet licensed in the United States, outweigh any potential risks.
Earlier this week, Dr. William Schaffner, a non-voting member of the ACIP and professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told CNN that the ACIP might recommend that the use of the vaccine resume without change, or that the committee could recommend that the United States stop using the J&J vaccine altogether.
Schaffner said ACIP is more likely to recommend resuming use of the vaccine with a warning about potential adverse effects and potentially advice to higher-risk populations to stay away from this vaccine altogether.
- CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas and Elizabeth Cohen contributed to this story.
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