CDC advisors recommend resuming use of J&J vaccine

Deaths and hospitalizations prevented far outweigh the “remote” risk of serious blood clots, but questions about supply remain.

Robust debate among scientists on the CDC’s Advisory Council on Immunization Practices (ACIP) led to a 10-4 vote reaffirming its prior recommendation of the J&J Covid-19 vaccine. The advisers concluded that - even with a small number of serious blood clots, including three deaths - resuming use of the one-shot vaccine could prevent hundreds of deaths in the next month. Patient information will be updated to describe how to recognize potentially serious reactions and what to do.

• The decision comes as White House and other officials doubt J&J will resolve manufacturing problems at a Baltimore factory as quickly as the company had expected.
  

• Expect FDA and CDC to update the Emergency Use Authorization and other bureaucratic necessities over the weekend.

Advisors rejected a proposal to explicitly tell women that they may choose one of the other vaccines, which do not have the same side effects associated. The blood clots usually are treatable if recognized correctly and promptly.

The one-shot J&J vaccine has been viewed as especially useful to reach people who have not sought Covid-19 vaccinations already. One public health director noted that between 3-12% of people getting the first Pfizer or Moderna shots have not returned to get the second dose, which is required for the most effective immune response.

At the meeting, we learned that another 9 cases of blood clots were identified among the 7 million people who received the J&J COVID-19 vaccine. While the blood clots are rare, they are serious and require treatment unfamiliar to many clinicians. All 15 cases were in women and three died. Two were taking oral contraceptives, and six were treated with heparin, which worsens the condition instead of improving it (but did not cause the deaths.)

Other news:

India reported 332,730 new COVID infections Friday, the largest number of new COVID-19 cases on a single day in any country for the second day in a row. “It is a dire situation (and) we are trying to help any way we can,” said White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, adding that the CDC is providing technical advice to India’s health authorities. White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeffrey Zients said the administration will consider sharing vaccine supplies once the United States has sufficient confidence in the supply for Americans.

Mayo Clinic scientists estimate that a 75% vaccination rate “is the shortest path to return to life as we knew it before the pandemic,” even taking into account the possibility that immunity from vaccines may wane over 1-2 years.

The federal government is expanding its #WeCanDoThis campaign to encourage vaccine confidence with live events pairing scientists with social media influencers such as actress Eva Longoria, evangelical leader Walter Kim, TV host Kelly Ripa, and NASCAR drivers.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson told an interviewer he is “highly suspicious” of the campaign to get Americans vaccinated against COVID-19, raising concerns about privacy and freedom, among others. Johnson made headlines recently when he defended January 6 Capitol rioters.

That’s it for today. Have a good weekend.