Health professionals from the Quad Cities COVID-19 Coalition discussed the pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and how it impacts the local community.
The U.S. on Tuesday recommended a “pause” in using the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots, a development that could jeopardize the rollout of vaccines around the world.
Dr. Louis Katz, Medical Director, Scott County Health Department, said "the risk of COVID is far higher than the risk from the vaccine."
He explained that the FDA and the CDC have recommended the pause to be sure they can understand the nature of the side effects and to give time to alert the public and healthcare providers so they can ensure they can properly evaluate and treat people who may experience side effects.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced that they were investigating unusual clots that occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. The FDA commissioner said she expected the pause to last a matter of days.
The clots occurred in veins that drain blood from the brain and occurred together with low platelets, the fragments in blood that normally form clots. All six cases were in women between the ages of 18 and 48. One person died, and all of the cases remain under investigation.
Dr. Katz said people who have gotten the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should watch for symptoms between 7-21 days after getting the shot. Symptoms that might suggest a blood clot include new pain, swelling in the legs, shortness of breath, headache, chest pain, or neurological symptoms, to name a few.
He said if you have any of these symptoms, call your healthcare provider and provide the date you got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
More than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been given in the U.S., the vast majority with no or mild side effects.
Locally, county health departments have paused the use of the vaccine, replacing it with other options like Moderna.
In both Scott County and Rock Island County, their health departments have administered fewer than 1,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines apiece. That's not including allocations that may have been distributed to pharmacies or doctor's offices.
Dr. Katz said it's not yet known how long the pause will last. He said it was expected to be days, not weeks.
On Wednesday, April 14, a CDC panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, planned to meet, review the reports and recommend next steps.
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