After a day that many hoped might add clarity to the rollout of Johnson & Johnson’s troubled Covid-19 vaccine, the picture on Thursday is as muddy as ever in the United States.
The “pause” that U.S. health officials put in place on the use of the vaccine might now stay in place for seven to 10 days. It’s a decision with potentially painful consequences that could ripple worldwide.
After considering whether to reinstate the vaccine, a panel of expert advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined on Wednesday that it needed more time to assess a possible link to a rare but serious blood-clotting disorder.
In South Africa, health officials have stopped giving the Johnson & Johnson shot, two months after dropping another vaccine, from AstraZeneca. The European Union said it would not make any more purchases of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or of AstraZeneca’s, which has raised similar concerns. If the perception takes hold that rich countries are dumping second-rate shots on poorer nations, suspicions about the efficacy of the vaccines could harden, slowing the worldwide rollout of desperately needed doses.
Already, doctors say, the recent pauses have heartened vaccine skeptics and made many others feel duped.
“People, especially those who were vaccinated, felt like they had been tricked in a way — they were asking, ‘How do we get rid of the vaccine in our body?’” said Precious Makiyi, a doctor and behavioral scientist in the Eastern African nation of Malawi, where health workers have been racing to empty their shelves of nearly expired AstraZeneca doses. “We fought so hard with vaccine messaging, but what has happened this past week has brought us back to square zero.”
In developed countries, too, the Johnson & Johnson woes could erode public confidence. The vaccine is considered ideal for rural and underserved communities because it requires only one shot and is easier to store.
“There was enthusiasm about it because it was a one-time thing,” said Jill Ramirez, chief executive of the Latino HealthCare Forum in Austin, Texas. “It was a really good opportunity for people to get the vaccine. But I feel uncomfortable signing people up for it.”
However, “Anytime there’s a disruption,” Ms. Ramirez said, “that throws a wrench into that trust. There’s going to be repercussions.”
As the Biden administration grapples with the fallout over the vaccine, three of its top health officials — Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Dr. David Kessler — were set to testify on Capitol Hill on Thursday morning before a House Select Committee overseeing the government’s coronavirus response.
The officials are likely to face questions about the safety of the vaccine and whether the suspension of its use will hinder the government response.
The C.D.C. advisory group’s emergency meeting on Wednesday was called to review the reports that had led to the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine: Six cases of rare and severe blood clots in the brain in women ages 18 to 48, one of whom died.
All of the women had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine before developing the clots, although it is unclear whether the vaccine was responsible. More than seven million people have had this shot in the United States. Public health officials and experts have emphasized that for most people, the benefits of the Covid vaccines far outweigh the risks, and that suspending use of some of them may do more harm than good.
The panel on Wednesday also learned of a seventh woman and a man who experienced the rare condition after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine during clinical trials.