The US’ FDA has announced that it is temporarily halting the use of Johnson & Johnson’s single dose jab after six women developed rare blood clotting issues. This is being done “out of an abundance of caution.”

“Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” the FDA said in a statement together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously.”

The women were aged between 18 and 48 and began developing symptoms six to 13 days after receiving the jab. According to reports, this type of clot is usually treated with heparin but health regulators warned it could be dangerous in such cases and recommended a different course of treatment.

In a statement, Johnson & Johnson said that “no clear causal relationship” has been identified between the jab and the development of blood clots, adding it is working closely to assess the data with regulators.

Those you get vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson jab and “develop a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider,” the FDA and CDC said.

Just this morning it was reported that the distribution of this very vaccine to EU member states had begun, with the EU bloc expected to receive some 55 million doses by June. The EMA approved this vaccine, making it the fourth one on its rollout following Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.