US health agencies lifted the pause on Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine on Friday, 10 days after urging providers to hold off on using the shot while they reviewed serious and rare cases of blood clots among several people who had received it.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement that they have determined that the pause that was put in place on April 13 should end and that use of the vaccine should resume.
The agencies said that they found the shot was safe and effective at preventing Covid-19. They added that the chance of developing the rare blood-clot syndrome is very low, but that they will continue to investigate.
Regulators issued a revised fact sheet for healthcare providers with information about the risk of the syndrome.
All 15 cases of clotting were observed in women, with 13 under the age of 50, according to the presentation. Meanwhile, 12 of the 15 cases involved rare brain blood clots. As of April 21, about 4 million women in the US had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
A panel of medical experts reaffirmed their support for Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine on Friday afternoon.
Regulators put dosing with the vaccine on hold 10 days ago to gather more information following reports of blood clots.
More than eight million Americans have been given Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. The panel reviewed evidence from 15 people who suffered the rare side effect after receiving the shot. Three died, while seven remain in hospital and five were discharged.
Health officials have been under pressure to make a determination on the vaccine and end the pause. One panellist, Wilbur Chen, said earlier this week that he wants to see use of Johnson & Johnson’s shot resume, though exactly how will depend on the data shared during the meeting.
“I don’t want to have it sit on the shelf for any longer,” said Mr Chen, who is also a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
About 10 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine across the US are ready to be used, according to CDC data, but just how quickly they will find their way into people’s arms is unclear.
For one, momentum in the national immunisation campaign appears to be slowing. Three million shots a day are now being administered, down from a peak of 3.4 million. About 40 per cent of US adults have already received one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and only 75 per cent of the roughly 28 million doses being shipped out weekly would be used at the current pace.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday that many people would still want a Johnson & Johnson shot.
Unlike two-dose vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna, Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine requires a single shot and can be kept in refrigerators, making it a preferred tool for those who interact less frequently with the health system or live in hard-to-reach places.
“I do think that there’s plenty of people who are interested in the [Johnson & Johnson] vaccine if just for convenience as well as for a single-dose option,” Dr Walensky said.
Panellists wrestled with whether the benefits of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine – preventing hospital admission and death – outweigh the risk of developing a clot.
One of the most commonly cited concerns about keeping Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine sidelined was the disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities, including the homeless. Many state and local health departments were using Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, which requires only one dose and is easier to store than other available Covid-19 vaccines, to reach these groups.
While the cases reviewed Friday suggest the blood clots are most common in young women, panelists warned the clots may still occur in men. One man in Johnson & Johnson's clinical trial developed a clot. And two of the 15 cases recorded thus far occurred in women over 50, raising the possibility that the syndrome can also appear in older people.
European Union regulators have already decided to move forward with Johnson & Johnson's vaccine and Friday issued an analysis showing that the benefits of AstraZeneca's vaccine, also linked to clotting, outweigh its risks.
The European Medicines Agency said the blood clots should be listed as a very rare side effect of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine so doctors and people who receive it can be aware of the symptoms.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
THREE
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Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The%20specs
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
