US vaccine roll-out hit by 'pause' on J&J vaccine after blood clot reports

New York: US President Joe Biden's ambitious drive to lift Covid-19 restrictions by Independence Day (4 July) has been hampered by the 'pause' in the roll-out of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, following reports that some people developed blood lots after taking the injections.

After six women who received the vaccine, experienced a rare type of brain clot, the US federal government agencies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), on Tuesday recommended that the administration of the injection suspended.

The nation's top expert on Covid-19 and Biden's Chief Medical Advisor, Anthony Fauci, said, "This is a really rare event. If you look at what we know so far, there have been 6 out of the 6.85 million doses, which is less than one in a million."

But the action was being taken as a matter of abundant caution, so that medical authorities can "take a good look at it." he said.

The news of the hitch in the J&J vaccine will, in addition to reduce vaccine availability, also create more vaccine hesitancy.For, even before the J&J problem arose, as per several polls about one in four people in American would not be vaccinated.

About 70 per cent of the population has to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity that will stop the spread of the disease according to experts and Biden's hope of "independence" from the coronavirus virus by Independence Day on July 4 was counting on it.

(With IANS inuts)