FDA Adds Warning Of Rare, Potentially Dangerous Reaction Risk For Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 Vaccine
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Federal health leaders are investigating a new potential risk between the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and a rare neurological complication.
A rare side effect called Guillain-Barre syndrome is when the immune system attacks the nerves.
The CDC says around 100 reports of this disorder were detected out of the almost 13 million doses of the vaccine that have been administered.
Of those approximately 100 reported cases, reports show 95 of them were serious and required hospitalization. One person died.
According to the CDC, the cases have reported around two weeks after vaccination and were mostly in men, many of them age 50 and older.
This news is yet another blow to the J&J vaccine. It was just a few months ago when the CDC put a pause on the vaccine after reports of a small group of women developing a rare, yet severe type of blood clot after getting the shot.
After more research and investigation, that pause was eventually lifted,
Health experts say the good still outweighs the bad.
This is a bit of a tense time, because the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 has been spreading rapidly across the county.
It is now in several states and health professionals and the White House have been pushing people to get vaccinated.
As for the other vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, there doesn't appear to be an increased risk of the syndrome, but much more research and discussion will be held surrounding this.