On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the recommendation to pause administering the J&J vaccine until the agencies can further review the data. Gov. Mike DeWine followed up on the recommendation, advising Ohio providers to stop using the J&J vaccine.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
The governors of Kentucky and Indiana have also advised all vaccine providers to temporarily pause using the J&J vaccine.
The rare blood clots have not been reported with the Pfizer or Moderna two-dose vaccines, which are the majority of the vaccinations administered. More than 6.8 million people have received the J&J one-dose vaccine. Nearly 189.7 million total vaccine doses have been administered with more than 74 million people have been fully vaccinated.
“I see this move today as one of great transparency of the medical process,” said Ohio Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Bruce Vanderhoff. “This should be reassuring that the scientific and medical community is really on this and watching very closely to ensure that what people are receiving is in fact safe.”
The Butler County General Health District inoculated 164 people with the J&J vaccine between March 16 and April 12, and halted use as soon as the request came in, according to the health district.
“For the public, it’s important to keep in mind that over 6.8 million doses of J&J have been administered and these adverse side events appear to be extremely rare,” said Butler County Health Commissioner Jennifer Bailer. “However, pausing out of an abundance of caution is crucial in order for the data to be closely reviewed and any potential significance identified.”
The health departments in the cities of Middletown and Hamilton have also halted its use. Middletown’s health department has administered 265 of the J&J vaccines and Hamilton’s health department has administered around 200 doses.
None of the local health departments have reported issues with the one-shot vaccine.
Credit: Ted S. Warren
Credit: Ted S. Warren
Anyone who received the J&J vaccine and experiences severe headaches, chest pains, abdominal pains, lower extremity pains, shortness of breath, or unexplained bruising or bleeding within three weeks of vaccination should reach out to their physician, according to Cincinnati-based The Health Collaborative.
“The CDC and FDA are acting in a very cautious manner,” said Dr. Tom Lamarre, medical director for Infectious Diseases at The Christ Hospital Health Network. “These actions underscore the overall commitment to vaccine safety. The complications being reported are very, very rare. We will be closely monitoring the federal review process and use that information to help guide our efforts in the days ahead.”
The CDC will convene an Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting today to review the six cases. The women who had the rare blood clots also had reduced platelet counts that would make the usual treatment for the clots dangerous, according to the Associated Press.
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