U.S. Identifies 28 Blood-Clot Cases After Use of J&J Shot

(Bloomberg) -- Twenty eight people developed blood clots with low platelets after receiving Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The 28 cases were identified out of 8.7 million doses of J&J’s vaccine administered in the U.S., the CDC said in a presentation posted online Wednesday ahead of a meeting of the agency’s immunization advisory committee. The panel will review the new data on the condition, called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome.

U.S. health agencies paused use of J&J’s vaccine for 10 days last month while they investigated the rare and potentially fatal side effect. On May 11, the CDC said on its website tracking the latest cases that the known potential benefits of the vaccine continued to outweigh its potential risks.

All 28 confirmed cases occurred before the pause began on April 13, according to the new presentation. The median age of patients was 40 and their ages ranged from 18 to 59. Of the 28 cases, 22 occurred in women and six occurred in men.

Nineteen of the total cases involved a specific type of clot found in the brain, according to the slides. Obesity was the most common risk factor.

Three of the people died, four remain hospitalized, two were discharged to a post-acute care facility and 19 were sent home, according to the slides.

Twelve of the patients were treated with heparin, the normal medication used for blood clots that may worsen this specific condition. The pause was in part to educate providers on how to treat the clots.

”As additional safety information becomes available, we will continue to collaborate closely with health authorities around the world, to ensure health care professionals and individuals are fully informed, so that rare events can be identified early and treated effectively,” J&J spokesman Jake Sargent said in an emailed statement.

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