ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, Ill. — Several local county health departments announced Tuesday administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine will be paused following new federal guidance.
The Rock Island County Health Department will substitute the two-dose Moderna vaccine for the J&J vaccine at Thursday's mass vaccination clinic at the Camden Centre in Milan, Illinois. The department said more than 800 people had signed up for the single-dose vaccine.
Scott County Health Department medical director Dr. Louis Katz will discuss the J&J vaccine in a QC COVID-19 Coalition press conference April 13, 2021 at 3:30 p.m.
News 8 will stream the briefing LIVE online and on the WQAD News 8 YouTube page.
“In an abundance of caution we are asking our partners to suspend use of the J&J vaccine until an investigation is complete and FDA and CDC modify their recommendation for its use,” Katz said in a statement. “It is a testament to the enhanced surveillance that this small risk has been identified and characterized so quickly.”
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The Mercer County Health Department will also be substituting the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for the J&J vaccine at their clinic Wednesday. The department emphasized in a statement that adverse effects from the J&J vaccine are extremely rare.
Those who do experience severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after receiving a vaccine should contact their health care provider.
Community Health Care is also offering Moderna vaccines in place of J&J doses in Muscatine County. Those who already signed up for a Johnson & Johnson vaccine do not need to make another appointment as their doses have been switched to Moderna.