4 things to know about the J&J COVID vaccine pause

To put the less-than-1-in-a-million risk of getting a severe blood clot from the J&J vaccine in perspective, people face a 1-in-500,000 chance each year of being struck by lightning. “It’s important to keep these numbers in context,” Jonathan Watanabe, a [professor of clinical pharmacy] and an associate dean in the College of Health and Sciences at the University of California. Irvine, said of the rare blood clots. “While frightening, it’s a rare event.” The risk of blood clots associated with covid infection is actually greater, he added.