The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ordered all remaining doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine be destroyed, but advised those who received two doses that they still need an mRNA injection.
Becker News first reported that the CDC released an advisory about the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccines, saying that they expired on May 7, 2023. The doses were ordered to be disposed of in accordance with local law enforcement.
“Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine is no longer available in the U.S. All remaining U.S. government stock of Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine [has] expired,” the CDC warned.
“People ages 18 years and older who received 1 dose of Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine should be considered to have received a single-dose Janssen primary series,” the government body advised.
However, the announcement contained some bad news for those who received two doses of the Johnson & Johnson version of the COVID-19 vaccine: The agency says they still need to seek out another shot of an mRNA dose.
“People ages 18 years and older who received 1 or 2 Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine dose are recommended to receive 1 bivalent mRNA dose (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech) at least 2 months after completion of the previous dose,” the CDC said.
According to Yahoo News, over 31 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were distributed in the United States. However, only 19 million received that brand of vaccine, leaving more than 12 million doses unused.
In April 2021, the manufacturer’s product was ordered to be “paused” by the CDC and Food and Drug Administration, citing “extremely rare” blood clots. Six women between 18 and 48 years old developed blood clots after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine; one died and one was critically injured, according to the FDA.
The vaccine was then only to be administered as a last resort to adults who are medically ineligible for other approved vaccines or have no access to an alternative vaccine, according to Becker News.
It only took a few days for the recommended pause to be lifted however, following a “thorough safety review” that concluded that the “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,” the advisory stated.
The CDC also noted on its website that the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine products are expired or will expire soon.
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