Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Investigation: Oregon Women’s Death Scrutinized After Rare Blood Clot

An investigation has been opened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention into the death of an Oregon woman who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the Oregon Health Authority announced on Thursday.

According to the agency, the woman, who was in her 50s, received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine before the Food and Drug Administration recommended that the shot be paused, following at least six reports of rare brain blood clot cases in women on April 13.

The FDA and the CDC are meeting on Friday to decide whether to greenlight Johnson & Johnson’s COVID vaccine with a possible warning. There has been no confirmation that the six blood clot cases reported were connected to the vaccine. But OHA said the woman’s death will be used as evidence in the review of the vaccine’s evaluation.

The six confirmed cases of the rare brain blood clots - cerebral venous sinus thrombosis – included women aged 18 to 48, with one woman dying of the disorder and another in critical condition.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, it is not conclusive that the woman’s death is related to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at this point, and it cannot be concluded until the investigation is complete.

However, the woman did develop a rare but serious blood clot two weeks after receiving her vaccination, presenting very low platelets.

The woman’s symptoms were consistent with the other cases that are being looked at by the CDC and FDA, according to Dr. Shimi Sharief, the senior health advisor for the Oregon Health Authority, the New York Post reported.

Prior to the FDA pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, about 7.5 million doses of the one-dose shot had been administered in the U.S. with more than 87,000 doses inoculated in Oregon, OHA said.

As of Friday, the CDC said that over 89.2 million people had been fully vaccinated, accounting for 26.9% of the American population.