A panel of impartial consultants advising the C.D.C. could vote on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause.

An advisory committee for the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention is discussing the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine pause throughout a gathering on Wednesday afternoon whereas a attainable hyperlink to a small variety of uncommon blood clots is investigated.

The emergency assembly follows the Meals and Drug Administration’s announcement on Tuesday that it was learning six circumstances of uncommon and extreme blood clots in ladies aged 18 to 48, certainly one of whom died. The entire ladies had obtained the Johnson & Johnson vaccine earlier than growing the clots, though it is unclear whether the vaccine is responsible. As of Tuesday, greater than seven million individuals in america have obtained the shot, and one other 10 million doses have been shipped out to the states, in response to C.D.C. information.

Following the decision from federal well being businesses, all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico on Tuesday rapidly paused or really useful that suppliers pause the administration of the vaccine. The U.S. army, federally run vaccination websites, and a number of personal corporations, together with CVS, Walgreens, Ceremony Assist, Walmart and Publix additionally paused the injections.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, is a panel of impartial consultants who advise the C.D.C. on its vaccine insurance policies. On the assembly, the experts are reviewing and debating information from the uncommon blood clots, together with a seventh case, and can later hear feedback from the general public, earlier than a attainable vote on proceed. They might vote to suggest that the pause continues, for instance, or to specify that it ought to apply solely to a sure age or intercourse.

Federal officers mentioned on Tuesday that the pause would possibly final only some days, although it relied on what officers discovered within the investigation. They mentioned that the pause will give officers extra time to alert docs that sufferers who’ve these uncommon blood clots shouldn’t be given the drug heparin, the usual therapy that docs administer for typical clots, and likewise present time to find out whether or not there are any extra circumstances.

The clotting dysfunction of concern within the vaccine recipients is totally different — and far rarer — than typical blood clots, which develop in a whole bunch of 1000’s of individuals yearly. The seven ladies had not solely clotting within the mind, however a notably low stage of platelets, elements of the blood that assist kind regular clots. The panel consultants mentioned the identified background charges of every situation within the normal inhabitants, however famous that there’s not sufficient information to exactly estimate how usually they happen on the similar time.

“Proper now, we consider these occasions to be extraordinarily uncommon, however we’re additionally not but sure we have now heard about all attainable circumstances, as this syndrome might not be simply acknowledged as one related to the vaccine,” Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the C.D.C. director, mentioned at a White Home information convention on the pandemic on Wednesday.

The U.S. surgeon normal, Dr. Vivek Murthy, reiterated on Wednesday that the pause in Johnson & Johnson vaccinations offers public well being officers an opportunity to analyze the circumstances and focus on them with well being care professionals. He added that pauses are frequent when new vaccines and medicines are rolled out.

“We’re simply doing the due diligence we have to do to ensure every part is protected so we are able to proceed with our vaccination efforts,” Dr. Murthy mentioned on “CBS This Morning.”

The committee’s evaluation will likely be essential at a time when the nation is racing to vaccinate as many individuals as attainable to curb the regular accumulation of circumstances, significantly as worrisome variants achieve traction. Some public well being consultants had been dissatisfied within the F.D.A.’s advice to droop the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, arguing that stopping these extraordinarily uncommon unwanted effects was not worth the trade-off of slowing the vaccination marketing campaign and doubtlessly eroding the general public’s belief of vaccines normally.

On the information convention, Jeffrey D. Zients, the White Home’s pandemic coordinator, mentioned that the pause wouldn’t typically interrupt the momentum of the nation’s vaccination marketing campaign.

“Within the very quick time period, we do anticipate some impression on day by day averages as websites and appointments transition from Johnson & Johnson to Moderna and Pfizer vaccines,” he mentioned. “We have now greater than sufficient Pfizer and Moderna vaccine provide to proceed and even speed up the present tempo of vaccinations.”

Noah Weiland, Denise Grady and Madeleine Ngo contributed reporting.