The US Food and Drug Administration has set limitations on the emergency use authorization of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen Covid-19 vaccine to people 18 and older for whom other vaccines aren’t appropriate or accessible and those who opt for J&J because they wouldn’t otherwise get vaccinated, according to reports.
In a statement the FDA said the change was made because of the risk of a rare and dangerous clotting condition called thrombosis with TTS after receiving the vaccine.
The FDA says it has determined that the benefits of the J&J vaccine outweigh the risks for certain people. People who may still get the vaccine include those who had a severe allergic reaction to an mRNA vaccine such as those from Pfizer or Moderna, those with personal concerns about the mRNA vaccines who would remain unvaccinated without the J&J vaccine, and those with limited access to mRNA Covid-19 vaccines.
The FDA also said that, while rare, 15 percent of TTS cases have been fatal.