CDC reviewing Oregon woman’s death after Johnson & Johnson vaccination

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reviewing the death of a woman that occurred after she received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine.

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) said in a statement on Thursday that it was informed the CDC is investigating the death of a woman in her late 50s, who received the vaccine before the state ordered the pause on its use.

Two weeks after getting the vaccine, the woman developed a rare but serious blood clot that was seen with very low platelets.

“Until the investigation is complete, it cannot be concluded whether her death is related to the vaccine,” the OHA said.

The agency said it was notified about the death on April 20, two days after the CDC was notified on April 18.

The investigation comes roughly a week after the CDC and Food and Drug Administration recommended a nationwide pause on the vaccine due to reports of six rare blood clots following vaccination.

A CDC advisory panel met on April 14 but postponed making a recommendation because they wanted to gather more evidence about the risk of rare blood clots and its possible link to the vaccine. The panel is expected to meet again on Friday.

Meanwhile in Texas, the CDC and FDA are investigating after another woman was hospitalized following receiving the vaccine.

The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) told The Hill in a statement that the CDC notified it on Wednesday afternoon of a “possible case in Texas reported through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.” 

The patient is an adult female, who was hospitalized with symptoms that “appear to be consistent with the six cases reported elsewhere last week,” the department said. 

The agency didn’t provide more details about the case to protect her confidentiality and privacy.    

Both the OHA and Texas DSHS asked vaccine providers to immediately stop providing the vaccine after federal regulators recommended doing so. 

Janssen, the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that developed the vaccine, told The Hill in a statement that it “carefully reviews reports of adverse events in individuals that receive its vaccines and treatments.”

“Any report about an individual receiving our COVID-19 vaccine and our assessment of that report is shared with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other appropriate health authorities,” the company added. “This is part of the established process to inform health authorities’ comprehensive surveillance programs that monitor the overall safety of medicines, as well the vaccines authorized for use against this pandemic.” 

— Updated: 12:08 p.m.