By Kanishka Singh
\nReuters<\/p>\n
April 22 (Reuters) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating the death of an Oregon woman and the hospitalization of another in Texas after receiving Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, state health officials said.<\/p>\n
The incidents come as advisers to the CDC are set to meet on Friday to consider whether it is safe to resume injections of the single-dose vaccine, while senior health officials prepare for a green light.<\/p>\n
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky had said on Monday the agency was reviewing reports of a handful of potential cases of severe side effects among people who received the shot, in addition to those that led to a pause in its use.<\/p>\n
The CDC notified Oregon about the incident on Tuesday and Texas on Wednesday, the two states’ health officials said.<\/p>\n
The Oregon woman, who is in her 50s, received the vaccine before the pause order on its use was issued, the state’s health authority said in a statement. (https:\/\/bit.ly\/32GLvYQ)<\/p>\n
She developed “a rare but serious blood clot within two weeks following vaccination,” seen in combination with very low platelets, the Oregon Health Authority added.<\/p>\n
It warned that blame could not be assigned until its investigation was complete.<\/p>\n
Separately, a woman in Texas who received J&J’s vaccine has been hospitalized for symptoms similar to those of six people who recently suffered blood clots after taking the shot in the United States, a Texas health agency spokesman said.<\/p>\n
Last week, U.S. health agencies recommended a pause in the use of the vaccine after six rare cases of blood clots.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it found a possible link between J&J’s vaccine and rare blood clotting issues in adults who got doses in the United States, but added that the benefits of the shot outweighed the risks.<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Ankur Banerjee; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa, Clarence Fernandez and Sriraj Kalluvila)<\/p>\n