{"id":12301,"date":"2021-04-13T16:09:54","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T16:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/04\/13\/vaccinations-for-overseas-troops-in-jeopardy-as-dod-halts-johnson-johnson-covid-19-shots\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:28:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:28:35","slug":"vaccinations-for-overseas-troops-in-jeopardy-as-dod-halts-johnson-johnson-covid-19-shots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/coronavirus\/2021\/04\/13\/vaccinations-for-overseas-troops-in-jeopardy-as-dod-halts-johnson-johnson-covid-19-shots\/","title":{"rendered":"Vaccinations for overseas troops in jeopardy as DoD halts Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 shots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Defense Department was already scrambling to fill a hole in its planned vaccine distribution<\/a> after news broke early this month that millions of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines had failed quality tests. Now, the Food and Drug Administration has called for a pause<\/a> in administering that version of the vaccine at all, after linking a rare but dangerous blood clot to the inoculation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DoD had been sending its Johnson & Johnson doses primarily to troops and families deployed or stationed overseas, as the single-shot vaccination helped speed the process in areas where vaccine options are limited or non-existent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe safety of our force and their families is a top priority for the Department,\u201d Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement announcing that DoD would follow FDA recommendations and stop administering Johnson & Johnson\u2019s vaccine. \u201cWe are communicating this pause to our military health facilities and are reviewing our global vaccine distribution to address this issue and ensure we can continue to provide vaccines to our DoD population at home and abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move comes at a time when the Pentagon has touted its comparatively high overseas vaccination rate, 10 percent to 15 percent more than at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt this time, we do not know how long the pause will last,\u201d Kirby said. \u201cWe will continue to communicate to the force as we learn more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t