Newsom: A J&J vaccine pause won’t affect plans

SACRAMENTO (AP) — California’s pause on using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as federal agencies examine a possible and rare side effect is unlikely to affect vaccination efforts in the nation’s most populous state as it moves to start inoculating people 16 and older this week.

State officials directed counties and other providers on Tuesday to halt use of the vaccine per federal recommendation. But Gov. Gavin Newsom said he does not expect the halt to “materially impact our ability to fulfill our expectations.” Vaccinations are expected to be available for people 16 and older Thursday and California plans to lift most pandemic restrictions in mid-June.

Newsom said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine accounts for only 4% of the state’s current supply and that inoculations of more than 3 million people a week will keep the state on track to reopen broadly June 15. He said officials are working to switch about 8,800 people who had made Johnson & Johnson reservations via a state online platform to Pfizer and Moderna shots.

“The J&J vaccine has been extraordinarily safe,” he said at an event in Butte County.

More than 15 million Californians are fully or partially vaccinated. Of those, nearly 900,000 have received J&J shots, according to the state’s public health agency, including Newsom and other top health officials who publicly received the shots to demonstrate the vaccine’s safety.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration officials said Tuesday that they were investigating blood clots in six women that emerged in the days after they were vaccinated, in combination with reduced platelet counts. The federal officials recommended pausing use of the vaccine until they know more.