PITTSBURGH (Apr. 13, 2021) – This morning, the CDC and FDA recommended that the U.S. pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine. This recommendation came after six reported cases in the U.S. of women ages 18 to 48 who experienced a rare blood clotting disorder that occurred 6 to 13 days following receipt of the J&J vaccine. To date, nearly 7 million doses of the vaccine have been administered nationwide.

In line with this recommendation from the CDC, FDA and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Allegheny Health Network (AHN) will pause distribution of the J&J vaccine. The network will continue to administer both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

AHN has received no reports of this rare blood clotting condition to date from individuals following vaccination with the J&J vaccine. However, people who have received this vaccine type and develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.

AHN will continue to monitor this situation closely and await further guidance from the CDC and FDA following their closer review of these reported cases.