The Mississippi State Department of Health is instructing all health care providers in the state to stop administering the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine until federal agencies release more guidance on the vaccine, according to the state health officer.

Early Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration recommended a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine “out of an abundance of caution.”

This pause will allow the agencies to investigate reports of a rare and severe type of blood clot in six vaccine recipients, according to the Associated Press.

“Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” the agencies said.

Over 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in the U.S., as of April 12.

The Associated Press reported that 38,885 doses of the J&J vaccine have been given in Mississippi. These doses comprise about 2.7% of the 1,456,187 doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in the state.

The six individuals who had the rare type of blood clot are women between the ages of 18 and 48, and their symptoms occurred six to 13 days after vaccination, according to the CDC and FDA statement. One of the woman has died, according to the Associated Press.

The blood clot is called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, and among the six individuals, it was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets, according to the CDC and FDA.

A drug called heparin is often used to treat blood clots, according to the statement. However, in this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, so other treatments must be used.

A CDC committee will meet on Wednesday to review these cases, and then the FDA will review the CDC’s analysis. Until the two agencies’ investigations are complete, they are recommending a pause in the administration of the J&J vaccine.

“This is important, in part, to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot,” the CDC and FDA said.

Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the state health officer, said in a tweet that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are not affected by the new guidance.

What recipients of the J&J vaccine need to know

Dobbs said that individuals who have already received the J&J vaccine should not be worried. He said the likelihood that you would develop CVST is “very small.”

The CDC and FDA noted that J&J vaccine recipients who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks of their inoculation should contact their health care provider.