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New surveillance data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink confirm a small but statistically significant increased risk for Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in the 3 weeks after receipt of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
The Janssen vaccine (Ad26.COV2.S) is a replication-incompetent adenoviral vector vaccine.
The data show no increased risk of GBS with the Pfizer (BNT162b2) or Moderna (mRNA-1273) shots — both mRNA vaccines.
"Our findings support the current guidance from US health officials that preferentially recommend use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for primary and booster doses," Nicola Klein, MD, PhD, with Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Oakland, California, told Medscape Medical News.
"Individuals who choose to receive Janssen/J&J COVID-19 vaccine should be informed of the potential safety risks, including GBS," Klein said.
The study was published online April 26 in JAMA Network Open.
Eleven Cases
Between mid-December 2020 and mid-November 2021, roughly 15.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered to nearly 7.9 million adults in the United States.
This includes roughly 483,000 doses of the Janssen vaccine, 8.8 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and 5.8 million doses of the Moderna vaccine.
The researchers confirmed 11 cases of GBS after the Janssen vaccine.
