Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Linked to Teenager’s Multiple Brain Surgeries [Update]

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Johnson & Johnson

UPDATE: Health officials lifted the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine pause and will issue a fact sheet about the rare side effect, on April 23, 2021.

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is on pause after negative side effects were reported. Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and Dr. Anne Schuchat the principal deputy director of the C.D.C. both say that these cases are extremely rare, on April 21, 2021.

The FDA reported at least six American women experienced a rare type of blood clots after immunization, leaving one woman dead and another hospitalized in critical condition.

One of the six women is 18-year-old Emma Burkey, she has had three brain surgeries since receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine earlier this month.

Approximately one week after being vaccinated, Burkley became ill.  She eventually suffered seizures, was put on a respirator and is now recovering steadily.

Burkey and the other women reported headaches and back pain before being diagnosed with blood clots. Burkey was given Heparin, a blood thinner that Dr. Anthony Fauci said could make her condition worse.

Clotting has also been found in the vaccine created by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. Dr. Marks says the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines are extremely similar, based on the same technology, but AstraZeneca’s has not yet been approved for use in the U.S.

Federal officials say they have not seen any instances of blood clots or any other cause for alarm with the more than 180 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna that have been administered.

Johnson & JohnsonDr. Marks also stated that it is very important that doctors are aware of what to do when seeing someone who has been vaccinated and has typical symptoms compared to those who have severe headaches or symptoms of blood clots. They should also be aware of any medical conditions the patient has that could cause complications.

The student body and staff here at Coral Academy have heavy hearts as we now know one of our very own students has experienced adverse side effects from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Ercan Aydogdu, CEO of Coral Academy Las Vegas said:

In a ‘one in a million chance of this happening, we are heartbroken, yet pledge our support to the family during this difficult time.

Senior federal officials all agreed on discontinuing the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine while working to figure out how the blood clots are linked to the immune system.

Written by Brenda Robinson
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

nj.com: Teen Needs 3 Brain Surgeries After Rare Blood Clots Linked To Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
The New York Times: Johnson & Johnson Vaccinations Paused After Rare Clotting Cases Emerge; Noah Weiland, Sharon LaFraniere, and Carl Zimmer
AMA: Peter Marks, MD, PhD, Discusses Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Pause

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of New York National Guard – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Matias Garabedian’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

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