The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 57 J&J patients have been diagnosed with a rare blood clot disorder.

So far, nine people have been confirmed to have died, seven of them women and two men.

The single-dose J&J vaccination has been administered to 16 million Americans.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, (ACIP), recommended Thursday that the J&J vaccine should be reserved for patients who are unable to or unwilling to get the more widely available Moderna and Pfizer jabs.

The CDC still has to decide whether or not it will accept the recommendation of the panel.

Federal health officials estimate that the blood-clotting side effect is rare and has been reported at a rate around 3.8 per million doses.

Out of the 57 confirmed cases only 36 were admitted to intensive-care units. The ages of the deceased ranged from 28 to 62 years, with obesity being the most common underlying medical condition.

All cases have been completed within one month, with the majority occurring after nine days.

Weekly Covid-19 Death Rates per Capita, vaccinated or not

Dr Beth Bell, an ACIP member, stated that she doesn’t feel comfortable with the ACIP not making a clear statement to reflect the ACIP’s concern about rare but sometimes fatal side effects.

Panellists warned against eliminating J&J from consideration, especially at a time where US public health officials are working to vavacinate all remaining residents.

“It is really important that we not eliminate this vaccine,” Dr Jason Goldman, an assistant professor in clinical biomedical sciences at Florida Atlantic University, said.

Due to concerns about blood clots, the J&J vaccine was temporarily stopped in April.

The CDC noted that Covid-19-related hospitalisations were prevented by the use of the vaccine, compared with a small number of people who had side effects.

According to the CDC, 76% of Americans over the age of 5 have had at least one dose.