US recommends ‘pause’ for J&J shots in blow to vaccine drive

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Washington (AP) — The U.S. recommendation to “pause” use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine set off a chain reaction worldwide and dealt a setback to the global vaccine campaign.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday that they were investigating unusual clots that occurred six to 13 days after vaccination.

The acting FDA commissioner says she expects the pause to last a matter of days. The decision triggered swift action in Europe and elsewhere as regulators moved to halt the use of the J&J vaccine, at least for now.

Hundreds of thousands of doses of the vaccine were due to arrive in European countries this week.