Important Update on the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine

Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA), and Massachusetts Department of Public Health directed providers to pause the administration of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine as they investigate reports of blood clots in six women who received the J&J vaccine. None of these cases appear to have occurred in Massachusetts.

While these blood clots are extremely rare, the CDC and FDA made this recommendation out of an abundance of caution. The CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on  Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their  potential significance. The FDA also will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases. 

If you have a vaccination appointment scheduled, please note that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine continues to be available and you should keep that appointment. If anything changes you will hear from the group with whom you scheduled the vaccine.

At Lowell General Hospital, patient safety is our top priority. We will continue to follow recommendations from the CDC and FDA, and will share more information as it becomes available. If you received the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine and have questions, please talk with your healthcare provider.