Tyson clinics pause 1-shot vaccine’s use

Tyson Foods said Wednesday that it will follow federal and state guidance and will “pause” the use of the Johnson & Johnson covid-19 vaccine for its workers.

The company plans to continue hosting free vaccination clinics for its U.S. workers where local and state health departments are providing vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.

“Following guidance from the FDA, [Tyson] will pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as part of those events,” spokesman Derek Burleson said in an email Wednesday.

Arkansas, along with the rest of the country, stopped distributing Johnson & Johnson doses Tuesday after federal agencies reported six cases of a “rare and severe” type of blood clotting among people who took the vaccine.

Burleson said the company will continue to encourage its workers about the importance of the vaccine. More than 36,000 people in Tyson’s workforce have been vaccinated so far.