WASHINGTON (AP) — Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine may pose a “small possible risk” of a rare but potentially dangerous neurological reaction, U.S. health officials said Monday.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement it has received reports of 100 people who got the shot developing Guillain-Barré syndrome, an immune system disorder that can cause muscle weakness and occasionally paralysis.
That number represents a tiny fraction of the nearly 13 million Americans who have received the one-dose vaccine. Most cases of the side effect were reported in men — many 50 years old and up — and usually about two weeks after vaccination.
The CDC said it would ask its panel of outside vaccine experts to review the issue at an upcoming meeting. J&J didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The government said the vaccines most used in the U.S., made by Pfizer and Moderna, show no risk of the disorder after more than 320 million doses have been administered.
Guillain-Barre syndrome occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks some of its nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis that typically is temporary. An estimated 3,000 to 6,000 people develop the syndrome each year, according to the CDC.
Vaccines historically provide broad protection with little risk but come with occasional side effects just like other drugs and medical therapies. The three COVID-19 vaccines used in the U.S. were each tested in tens of thousands of people, but even such huge studies can’t rule out extremely rare side effects.
The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration have been monitoring side effect reports submitted by physicians, drugmakers and patients to a federal vaccine safety database.
Guillain-Barre can be triggered by a number of infections, including flu, cytomegalovirus and Zika virus. But there have been rare cases in which people develop the disorder days or weeks after receiving certain vaccines.
J&J’s vaccine was highly anticipated because of its one-and-done formulation and easy-to-ship refrigeration. But early on, it was linked to another rare risk, of blood clots, and the company hasn’t been able to produce as much as expected because of problems at a Baltimore factory that helps make the shots.
In May, the VAERS adverse reaction database was still being updated with reported adverse effects from January! This system is also voluntary, and even physicians are being encouraged not to report any but catastrophic adverse effects. Additionally, it is estimated on the generous side, that 1 in 10 people bother to report adverse reactions to the system.
45 different reactions possible. All ‘minor.
What happens when you add all those ‘minor’ numbers up?
This J&J has caused lots of little scares. I’d stay away and if you truely are trying to promote vaccines don’t push garbage like j&j. As it is I don’t like the idea that you get a low fever and feel weak the day after the others shots. It’s not serious but it’s a disincentive.
GBS is ‘minor’? Watching my little niece fight for every breath in the PICU when she got GBS after the MMR was an experience I wouldn’t wish on my biggest enemies! I wonder what the other ‘minor’ side effects that bothered being reported are.
Trump on April 19th:
The Biden Administration did a terrible disservice to people throughout the world by allowing the FDA and CDC to call a “pause” in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The results of this vaccine have been extraordinary but now it’s reputation will be permanently challenged.
The people who have already taken the vaccine will be up in arms, and perhaps all of this was done for politics or perhaps it’s the FDA’s love for Pfizer. The FDA, especially with long time bureaucrats within, has to be controlled. They should not be able to do such damage for possibly political reasons, or maybe because their friends at Pfizer have suggested it.
…and since there are risks (whether we want to admit it or not) , why is anyone trying to convince anyone else to get shots.
Let each person decide for themselves without anyone else threatening, intimidating, or motivating.