Johnson & Johnson delay prompts criticism for CDC panel

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel is coming under increased criticism for continuing a pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that is keeping doses on the shelf while the pandemic rages.

Many experts backed the initial pause, announced on Tuesday, when it appeared that it would only last for a few days and would give time to alert health care providers to treatment guidelines around extremely rare cases of blood clots in people receiving the J&J vaccine.

But the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) decided to put off making a recommendation during a Wednesday meeting in order to gather more data, in practice keeping the pause in effect until the panel meets again in seven to 10 days and raising alarms among experts about a more substantial delay.