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St Paul (KROC AM News) - If you are scheduled for a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine shot, you may have to wait a while.

The Minnesota Department of Health is advising state health care providers to follow Tuesday’s recommendation to put scheduled shots on hold.

The Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration issued the pause recommendation after learning an extremely rare type of blood clot has been reported in six people who received that vaccine in the United States.

More than 184,000 Minnesotans have received the Johnson & Johnson shot so far. The department says it is not aware of any Minnesotans who have had problems after receiving a J&J vaccine.

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It is advising anyone who develops a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.

The CDC will convene a meeting of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine represents about 6.6% percent of the total supply of vaccines Minnesota has received to date, so the pause is not expected to dramatically slow the pace of vaccinations in the state. However, anyone who currently has an appointment to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should watch for a notification from their provider about canceling, postponing, or rescheduling the appointment.

If your appointment is cancelled, you can look for other vaccination appointments through the Vaccine Locator map, local pharmacies or your health care provider.

More information is available on the MDH website. 

As of April 12, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine have been administered in the U.S. CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving a rare and severe type of blood clot that was reported in six people after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 six to 13 days after vaccination.

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