Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine will be back in circulation this weekend after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention accepted an advisory panel’s decision that the disease-fighting benefits of the shots outweighed the risks.
The CDC’s action lifted a 10-day pause that went into effect April 13 after federal safety monitors received reports of a rare but potentially deadly blood clotting disorder in people who received the J&J vaccine.
The restart means the single-dose shots will return to mass vaccination drives, pharmacies and doctors’ offices immediately. They will come with newly drafted fact sheets that detail the disorder that has been detected in 15 patients since the J&J vaccine rolled out on March 2.
In Los Angeles County, health officials said they expect to resume distribution of the J&J vaccine on Saturday.

“We are prepared to resume very quickly,” said Dr. Paul Simon, chief science officer for the L.A. County Department of Public Health. “We are in the process of developing or finalizing education materials for clients and also providers so we can move forward in the safest way.”
The pause does not appear to have limited vaccine access in L.A. County, since supplies of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines remained high and demand for the shots has slowed, he added.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, said the country would benefit by having the Johnson & Johnson offering available alongside the two-dose vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
“The Johnson & Johnson is an important vaccine offering key advantages,” Walensky said. Key among them: It doesn’t require special refrigeration and it provides full protection in a single jab.
State and local health authorities are keen to use the vaccine in populations that are hard to reach or who may not return for a second dose. A longer pause was likely to impede the vaccination of homebound individuals, prisoners, homeless people and seasonal and migrant workers, the CDC said.