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Georgia Department of Health pauses Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

The Georgia Department of Health said it will follow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s guidance of pausing usage of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

In a joint statement early Tuesday, the FDA and the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they are “recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution.”

Health experts want to investigate six cases of people developing a rare blood clotting issue. More than 6.8 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the country so far, according to the agencies.

In a news release Tuesday, the Georgia DPH said the vaccines will be paused “until further notice.”

[SPECIAL SECTION: COVID-19 Vaccine in Georgia]

The reported blood clot cases have been extremely rare.

“Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” the statement read, adding that “treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered.”

>>Read more about U.S. health officials’ decision to pause the J&J vaccine here.

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