The United States Prepares To Give The Green Light Again For Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

The US health authorities are inclined to lift the pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine after finding a limited number of additional cases of blood clots.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to include a warning on the vaccine label to report this

potential side effect

"We know it's not good to extend the hiatus any longer than necessary

," Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA's chief vaccine regulator, said Thursday.

A prolonged pause could contribute to increasing doubts about vaccines at a time when the rate of vaccination begins to slow after exceeding 200 million injected doses.

The health authorities will make a decision when the expert committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, in English) pronounces this Friday afternoon. 

The government's top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, said in several interviews that he expects a decision by Friday.

"I would be very surprised if we didn't have some kind of resumption [of the J&J vaccination] by Friday," Fauci said, "I really don't think they want to extend [the hiatus] any longer."

Fauci, who is chief medical adviser to the president, Joe Biden, further said that

eligible to receive this vaccine.

Federal health agencies recommended on April 13 to stop this vaccine because there were six cases of clots in women between 18 and 48 years old, between 6 and 13 days after being immunized.

One of them died and another was in critical condition.

The clots occurred in the veins that drain blood from the brain and were associated with a low level of platelets.

European medical authorities made a decision similar to what the United States could take, resuming vaccination but adding a warning.

In his opinion, the benefits of the vaccine against a disease that has caused millions of deaths worldwide are greater than the risks found.