U.S. health advisers on Friday urged resuming covid-19 vaccinations with Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot, saying its benefits outweigh a rare risk of blood clots — in line with Europe’s rollout.

Federal health officials uncovered 15 vaccine recipients who developed a highly unusual kind of blood clot, out of nearly 8 million people given the J&J shot. All were women, most under age 50. Three died, and seven remain hospitalized.

“I think it’s important to note that all three vaccines are safe and effective,” said Dr. Graham Snyder, UPMC’s medical director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology. “What they’ve identified is 15 cases of clots associated with the vaccine. Given the number of doses already administered, that still makes this a very rare occurrence.”

Snyder said UPMC officials will await the final guidance from the CDC and FDA.

“How we resume use (of the J&J vaccine) at UPMC depends on that guidance and what our public health colleagues recommend for us,” he said.

At Excela, spokeswoman Robin Jennings said the health system has been administering only the two-dose Moderna vaccine.

“The J&J vaccine has not been available to us,” Jennings said.

State health officials said the recommendation shows that the federal oversight process of a vaccine’s safety and effectiveness is working, and all steps are being taken to protect Americans.

“We continue to urge individuals to get vaccinated as soon as possible with any of the three vaccines available to them,” said acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam. “Getting vaccinated is essential as we work to prevent the spread of covid-19, and also of serious and fatal complications due to the virus.”

Allegheny Health Network officials also plan to resume use of the J&J vaccine, according to spokeswoman Candace Herrington.

Officials from the Allegheny County Health Department could not be immediately reached for comment.

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said while J&J’s vaccine is important for fighting the pandemic, it’s also critical that younger women be told about that risk in clear, understandable terms — so they can decide if they’d rather choose an alternate vaccine instead.

The CDC advisory panel voted 10-4 to lift an 11-day pause in use of the J&J shot while adding warnings that women and health workers would see in leaflets at vaccination clinics. The group debated but ultimately steered clear of outright age restrictions.

The CDC and Food and Drug Administration will weigh Friday’s recommendation in deciding whether to end the pause; the CDC typically follows the recommendation of its advisers and CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has promised swift action.

“We’ve always taken the approach of asking our internal experts for insight on (federal) guidance,” Snyder said. “So far they’ve agreed with the national experts. And we’ll review this as well.”