Pennsylvania is following recommendations from federal health agencies by temporarily suspending the use of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson.

Butler Health System officials said it has not administered any Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and has administered only the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Drug Administration on Tuesday recommended pausing the use of the vaccine after rare and severe blood clots developed in six of the 6.8 million people in the country who received the vaccine.

In those cases, a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets. All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred six to 13 days after vaccination.

Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered. Usually, an anticoagulant drug called heparin is used to treat blood clots. In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given, according to a joint statement from the CDC and FDA.

The CDC said that even though the adverse reactions have been rare, use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should be suspended until an investigation is completed.

The CDC is convening a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. The FDA will review that analysis as part of its investigation.

“The CDC and the FDA are closely monitoring vaccines for safety and effectiveness, and if there is a cause for concern, they will take action because safety is paramount,” said Alison Beam, acting Pennsylvania Secretary of Health. “This protocol should give all Pennsylvanians confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, and individuals should proceed with getting vaccinated as soon as possible to fight the virus, particularly as our case counts rise.”

State residents who have appointments scheduled to receive a Pfizer or Moderna vaccination should keep those appointments, according to the health department. Effective immediately, providers will not administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, she said.

People who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and, within three weeks of their vaccination, developed severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath, or have health concerns, should contact their health care providers.

The Pennsylvania Health Department said a total of 6,503,362 doses of vaccine have been administered across the state, including 4,290,555 first and single doses and 2,212,807 second doses. About 90,000 people receive a vaccination every day in the state.In the county, 17,246 people have been partially vaccinated and 51,644 people are fully vaccinated.Despite the rapid pace of inoculations, the number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths has been rising in the state.The 6,638 new cases reported Tuesday raises the statewide total to 1,082,062, and 66 new deaths bring the total to 25,472 since the beginning of the pandemic. About 26,973 of the total cases in the state are among health care workers.The county case total grew to 10,169 with the addition of 22 new cases and two new deaths raised the total to 392 since the pandemic began.Of the 2,474 people hospitalized with COVID-19, 534 are in intensive care. The 14-day average number of people hospitalized per day is about 3,800 lower than it was at the peak in December 2020 and lower than what it was at the height of the spring peak in May 2020, but has been increasing. Most of the people hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older.In licensed nursing and personal care homes, 69,887 residents and 14,479 employees have COVID-19. Of the total deaths in the state, 12,993 have been residents of nursing or personal care facilities.