BATON ROUGE, La. — After the FDA and the CDC lifted the pause on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for concerns of rare blood clots on Friday, Louisiana followed suit.
The Louisiana Department of Health told providers they could immediately continue vaccinating patients for COVID-19 using the Johnson & Johnson shot, an LDH release said Saturday morning.
“LDH… encourages all Louisianans to take advantage of the available vaccines, so the state can continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 and put the pandemic in its rearview,” the release said. “The pause was recommended after reports of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals following administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.”
LDH’s statement said the CDC & the FDA have determined the following:
- Use of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine should be resumed in the United States.
- The FDA and CDC have confidence that this vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19.
- The FDA has determined that the available data show that the vaccine’s known and potential benefits outweigh its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age and older.
- At this time, the available data suggest that the chance of TTS occurring is very low, but the FDA and CDC will remain vigilant in continuing to investigate this risk.
“The FDA had recommended the pause out of an overabundance of caution due to an extremely rare condition reported in a small number of individuals nationwide. Safety is all of our top priority, and we appreciate the thorough review,” said Dr. Joseph Kanter, Louisiana’s State Health Officer. “We have the upmost confidence in the safety and monitoring process and commitment to transparency.”
