FDA calls to pause Johnson & Johnson vaccines over rare blood clots: CNBC After Hours

CNBC.com's Pippa Stevens brings you the day's top business news headlines. On today's show, Meg Tirrell explains why the FDA and CDC called to halt the administration of Johnson & Johnson vaccines after six women developed a rare blood clot disorder. Plus, Kate Rogers explores why restaurants are having trouble rehiring workers as diners return.

FDA advises states to pause use of J&J Covid vaccine after rare blood-clotting issue affects 6 women, kills 1

The Food and Drug Administration asked states on Tuesday to temporarily halt using Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine "out of an abundance of caution" after six women in the U.S. developed a rare blood-clotting disorder that left one woman dead and another in critical condition.

"Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare," the FDA said in a joint statement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously."

All six cases occurred in women ages 18 to 48, with symptoms developing six to 13 days after they received the shot. Doctors typically treat that type of blood clot with heparin, but health regulators noted that could be dangerous in this case and recommended a different treatment.

States rush to replace J&J vaccine appointments after FDA recommends pause

More than two dozen states took steps Tuesday to halt inoculations with Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine, shortly after the Food and Drug Administration recommended to pause its use after reports some women developed a rare blood clotting disorder.

The states, like the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stressed that they were acting out of an abundance of caution, as more than 6.8 million doses of J&J's vaccine have been injected and only six of the blood clotting cases have so far been reported.

J&J said in a statement that "no clear causal relationship" has been identified between the rare type of blood clots and the vaccine, adding it is working closely with regulators to assess the data.

Bitcoin hits new all-time high above $63,000 ahead of Coinbase debut

Bitcoin surged to a fresh record high of more than $63,000 on Tuesday, as investors awaited the highly-anticipated stock market debut of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase.

The price of bitcoin climbed as high as $63,236, according to data from Coin Metrics, before easing slightly to around $62,877. It was last up about 5% in the last 24 hours. Ether, the second-most valuable digital coin after bitcoin, also set a fresh record, climbing to $2,230.

Coinbase is set to go public on Wednesday through a direct listing that could value the company at as much as $100 billion — more than major trading venue operators like Intercontinental Exchange, owner of the New York Stock Exchange. Crypto investors are hailing the company's stock market debut as a major milestone for the industry after years of skepticism from Wall Street and regulators.

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