Media Coverage

On Tuesday, the FDA and CDC recommended pausing the administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine while the agencies investigate an extremely rare possible side effect. Six women in the U.S. who received the J&J vaccine — all between the ages of 18 and 28 — experienced a blood- clotting disorder called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in the days after getting their shots, and one has died. It’s not yet clear if the clots were related to the vaccine, though a similar disorder has occurred abroad among some recipients of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine, which uses the same adenovirus-vector technology as Johnson & Johnson’s. As scientists continue to research the cases to determine if and how they may be related to the shot, U.S. regulators’ sudden decision to pause J&J’s distribution has prompted widespread reaction from across the COVID-expert community. Below is an overview of what they are saying.

India's delayed response in regulatory clearance and government-sponsored acquisitions of the mRNA-based Covid vaccines could mean months of extended wait in the markets.

The US yesterday recommended a "pause" in using the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine to investigate reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots, a development that could jeopardise the rollout of vaccines around the world.

Duke, Cornell and the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign)conducted widespread COVID-19 surveillance testing during the 2020-2021 academic year. As of early March 2021, Cornell had 645 positive cases amongst students, faculty and staff, while Duke had 639 cases and the University of Illinois had 6,122 positive cases. All of these institutions regularly reported positivity rates under 1 percent, yet their population infection rates were dramatically different; 4 percent for Cornell, around the same for Duke, and over 20 percent for the University of Illinois. All these schools have remained open during the entire academic year, using a variety of in-person and remote education strategies.  

As vaccination eligibility opens up and more people get their shots, employers are looking for the best data on when and how to safely bring their employees back to work.