RICHMOND, Va. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that a Virginia woman was among the six confirmed deaths from the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The agency said that the woman died last month but the Virginia Department of Health has released no additional information.

In a statement, the VDH said that it is examining the March death of a Virginia woman as part of its investigation into possible adverse side effects from the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

State health department officials say Virginia will stop using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine until this investigation is complete. According to the VDH, “this pause is reassuring in that it demonstrates that the systems that are in place to monitor vaccine safety are working. Virginia’s vaccine rollout will continue with the other two authorized vaccines, developed by Pfizer and Moderna.”

The move follows an announcement by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration that the agencies want to pause administering the J&J vaccine after a Virginia woman and five other recipients in the U.S. developed rare blood clots within two weeks of receiving the J&J vaccine.

Virginia State Vaccination Coordinator Dr. Danny Avula said that the pause should not have an impact on the state’s plan to move into Phase 2 this coming Sunday. The phase means that everyone who is 16 years old and older and who lives or works in Virginia will be eligible for the vaccine.

Avula said that less than 15% of the shots that were scheduled to be given this week were from Johnson & Johnson. But the pause could result in the postponement of about 30 upcoming vaccination events this week at which about 70,000 Johnson & Johnson shots were scheduled to be administered.