Baton Rouge, La. (December 17, 2021) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorses the updated recommendations by its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) expressing a clinical preference for individuals to receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna over the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine.
The new CDC recommendation states, "mRNA vaccines are preferred over the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 for those 18 years of age and over."
On December 16, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said, “We have made important strides in the year since the COVID-19 vaccination program started. More than 200 million Americans have completed their primary vaccine series, providing protection against COVID-19, preventing millions of cases and hospitalizations, and saving over a million lives. Today’s updated recommendation emphasizes CDC’s commitment to provide real-time scientific information to the American public. I continue to encourage all Americans to get vaccinated and boosted.”
ACIP did not recommend removing the Janssen COVID-19 as an option in the U.S. for people who prefer the one-dose vaccination.
CDC’s recommendation was made after reviewing the benefits and risks of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. New data indicates that thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), a rare blood-clotting syndrome, is more common among people who recently received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine than previously known.
There have been 54 cases of TTS in the U.S. since the vaccine became available. Nine people have died, seven women and two men.
CDC and LDH strongly recommend that everyone 5 years old and above receive the COVID-19 vaccine and, if eligible, the booster. COVID-19 vaccines are widely available at more than 1,000 locations in all of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, including at pharmacies, hospitals, health care clinics and doctor’s offices.
For a list of locations near you, visit https://ldh.la.gov/covidvaccine or text your ZIP code to GETVAX (438829) in English or VACUNA (822862) in Spanish. If you have questions, would like to speak with a medical professional or need help scheduling an appointment, call 211 or Louisiana’s vaccine hotline at 1-855-453-0774.