Yes! Prior to being administered to the public, vaccines go through a rigorous and extensive testing process to ensure they are safe and effective. Although these particular vaccines were developed at a different rate than other vaccines, it does not mean they are any less safe. It went through the same journey any vaccine would. In order to receive authorization, the vaccines were tested in tens of thousands of volunteers and proved to not only be safe and effective but also showed that the benefits outweigh any potential risks.

On April 12, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a joint statement announcing the pause of administration of the J&J vaccine after 6 women developed a rare and severe type of blood clot after receiving it. This specific type of blood clot, as alarming as this sounds, affected less than 1 out of 1,000,000 doses, making the probability of actually getting this specific type of blood clot, about .000088% (extremely rare). The pause was done out of an abundance of caution to allow healthcare providers to prepare a plan to deal with such severe events, not because of frequent occurrences. Additionally, the CDC and medical community are working to determine if in fact these rare clotting incidences are directly linked to the J&J vaccine.

The CDC and FDA have now recommended that the use of the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine resume in the United States, effective April 23, 2021.