CDC Recommends Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization unanimously recommended that Americans receive either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine as opposed to Johnson & Johnson’s. This guideline comes as data show the risk for blood clots, while still rare, is elevated among those who receive the Johnson & Johnson one-shot COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are already more prevalent across the US with more than 184 million Americans having completed a regimen of either manufacturer’s two-dose vaccine; approximately 16 million Americans have been vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson’s shot. About 50 cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome have been reported among those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The syndrome, in which the presence of blood clots is accompanied by decreased platelet numbers, can be fatal. Click here to read more.