Administration of shot paused

million vaccinations given in the U.S. so far have come from Pfizer and Moderna.

“As the CDC and FDA have said, any adverse events related to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine ‘appear to be extremely rare’ and ‘people who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider,’” a statement from Zucker said.

“I am in constant contact with the federal government and we will update New Yorkers as more information becomes available,” he said.

State-run sites that were administering Johnson & Johnson shots include Queensbury’s Aviation Mall, State Fair Expo Center in Syracuse and the Javits Center in Manhattan.

The abrupt announcement caught many vaccine providers off guard Tuesday and prompted a scramble to reallocate Pfizer and Moderna shots to sites reliant only on Johnson & Johnson. Some clinics have been canceled or postponed this week as a result.

The Capital Region Vaccine Network said clinics that were offering Johnson & Johnson would switch to Moderna or Pfizer vaccines if they had them.

The State University of New York system, which launched a program last week to vaccinate students before they head home for summer break, said it would also be pausing administration of the Johnson & Johnson shot.

“We are working with New York state to locate and receive alternative COVID -19 vaccines for our students,” SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras said. “We urge all students with appointments for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to contact their campus or vaccination site because alternatives have already been found in some instances.”

Indeed, the University at Albany urged students, faculty and staff who had appointments for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the SEFCU Arena on Tuesday not to cancel them. The university said Pfizer vaccines would be given in their place, and asked anyone who had made an appointment to monitor their email for more details.

“Out of an abundance of caution for our students, faculty and staff, we have alternatively secured the Pfizer vaccine for today’s POD,” the university said in a tweet.

Albany County Executive Dan Mccoy confirmed that the county was reallocating some of its own Pfizer doses toward the clinic scheduled for Tuesday, which was expected to serve over 1,000 students from Ualbany, The College of Saint Rose and Russell Sage. Students were encouraged to keep their appointments, but to arrive 15 minutes later than previously scheduled, he said. Second doses will be given May 4.

“Ualbany has been a strong partner throughout the pandemic and it’s critical that we continue to vaccinate this age group that is far more likely to contract the virus and spread it,” Mccoy said.

Warren County announced that a clinic planned for Friday in Queensbury has been postponed, and those who planned to attend can instead sign up for a Moderna clinic in Queensbury on Wednesday.

Major retail pharmacies and a number of small neighborhood pharmacies announced they would be canceling or postponing appointments in response to the news.

Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens said they would pause Johnson & Johnson shots and send out links to people who had signed up with information on how to get a Pfizer or Moderna shot.

Lincoln Pharmacy in Albany said it will be canceling all appointments for the Johnson & Johnson shot this week but noted it has doses of the other vaccines available. Kelly’s Pharmacy in Greenville and Coxsackie announced it was canceling all vaccine appointments for the remainder of the week as it only had access to Johnson & Johnson.

“At this time, Kelly’s pharmacy does not have other COVID -19 vaccines available,” a statement on the pharmacy’s website read. “We do not know when more will be available.”

Hudson Headwaters, which has been vaccinating people in the North Country and Glens Falls area, said it was working to get Pfizer and Moderna replacements for the Johnson & Johnson doses it had intended to give out.

The one-dose vaccine has been particularly attractive to providers trying to reach transient and mobile populations, such as college students, homeless individuals and people who are homebound.