CDC panel requests more data before making decision on J&J vaccine pause

An advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday delayed making recommendations on a decision to pause the use of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine, saying it needed more time to examine the data and possible risks, NBC News reports.

Driving the news: Researchers said they did not have enough data to analyze the potential relationship between the J&J vaccine and the rare cases of severe blood clots that six women developed within two weeks of receiving the shot. It will be at least a week before the panel reconvenes.

• Members of the independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices argued that extending a pause on the vaccine would give more time to collect data and make sure health care providers are appropriately treating people who develop blood clot-related symptoms.
• The CDC said Tuesday there are too few cases to determine whether there are any subpopulations particularly at risk.

The big picture: Nearly 7 million Johnson & Johnson doses had been administered in the U.S. when the Food and Drug Administration recommended an immediate halt of the use of the one-shot vaccine on Tuesday. All 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico paused or recommended a pause on the use of the vaccine, per the New York Times.

• "The committee’s assessment comes at a crucial time, while the nation is racing to vaccinate as many people as possible to curb the steady accumulation of cases, particularly as worrisome variants gain traction," the Times noted.
• Yes, but: The White House said in a statement Tuesday that the pause "will not have a significant impact" on the administration's vaccination plans, noting that it has secured enough Moderna and Pfizer doses for 300 million Americans.