The FDA and CDC announced a pause in the administration of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, after several patients reported side effects such as blood clots. After people had been reporting side effects  from the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, the FDA and CDC had recommended a pause in the administration of the vaccine until they had enough data to determine if it was safe to lift the pause. This announcement led to misinformation and confusion regarding the effectiveness of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, as the American Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists (ASHP) addresses these concerns in their article titled “Addressing Misinformation About the Effectiveness of the J&J COVID-19 Vaccine.” 

     One concern over the Johnson and Johnson vaccine was that it was less effective in preventing hospitalizations and death from COVID-19. However, the ASHP claims that the J&J vaccine is highly effective in preventing severe cases of COVID-19, even against more contagious variants of COVID-19. The ASHP also stated in the article that all the approved vaccines are highly effective in preventing hospitalizations and death.  The J&J vaccine was studied at a later time in the pandemic, and while its overall efficacy rate is lower than that of Moderna and Pfizer, its efficacy was higher in the US than it was in other countries. In the J&J vaccine trial, fewer participants reported adverse events, such as injection site pain, fatigue, headache, chills, joint pain, and fever, than in trials of other COVID-19 vaccines. Many people were concerned about the J&J vaccine after there was a temporary pause in its administration, however, the FDA determined that the benefits of the J&J vaccine in preventing COVID-19 illness outweigh the risks of the very rare events that were seen early on in the administration of the vaccine. Severe allergic reactions were also proven to be very uncommon for all authorized vaccines. For more information about vaccine safety visit www.cdc.gov.

https://www.ashp.org/-/media/assets/pharmacy-practice/resource-centers/Coronavirus/docs/covid-vaccine-myths.ashxhttps://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-and-cdc-lift-recommended-pause-johnson-johnson-janssen-covid-19-vaccine-use-following-thorough