County hits brakes on J&J vaccine
EL CENTRO – California on Tuesday joined a number of states around the country in placing a what is expected to be a temporary pause in administering the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine.
The Imperial County confirmed its participation in the decision in a short press release issued Tuesday morning and expanded later in the day.
“In line with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Imperial County will immediately pause the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” the first release said. “Local Health Officials will continue to monitor the situation and will share additional information as it becomes available.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday they were looking into unusual clots in six women between the ages of 18 and 48. One person died.
“It is important to know this is six cases out of more than 6 million cases,” County Health Officer Dr. Stephen Munday told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday. “This is a very rare event, but we are following it.”
The FDA’s acting commissioner, Janet Woodcock, expected the pause to last only a matter of days. But the decision triggered swift action in Europe and elsewhere as the drugmaker, regulators and providers moved to halt the use of the J&J vaccine, at least for now.
J&J said in a statement that it was aware of the reports of blood clots, but that no link to its vaccine had been established. However, the company said late Tuesday it would delay the rollout of its vaccine in Europe and pause new vaccinations in its trials that are still underway until it can update its guidance on how to proceed.
ICPHD said it was reaching out to local providers to alert them of this new development. “This pause is evidence of very close safety monitoring as part of the strict quality assurance that is in place to ensure patient safety,” the health department said.
Nationally, 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered. In the six cases CDC and FDA are investigating, the patients developed cerebral venous thrombosis (a potentially life-threatening form of blood clot) between six and 14 days after receiving the vaccine. These symptoms have not been seen with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, ICPHD said.
“We really, really need to message to people that this has nothing to do with (Pfizer and Moderna),” Munday told the supervisors.
To date, Imperial County has received more than 10,500 J&J vaccines through the state’s vaccine program, the health department said. Noting that this number does not include those doses received through the federal program, ICPHD said it is working to obtain that information.
Of the J&J doses administered in Imperial County, no major side effects have been reported, ICPHD said.
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 percent 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.
State epidemiologist
Dr. Erica Pan said California will convene a regional scientific safety workgroup to review information provided by the federal government. The review group created by California and joined by Nevada, Washington and Oregon approved Johnson & Johnson for use on March 3. California got its first shipment of the shots that week.
Newsom created the group amid fears that former President Donald Trump’s administration would politicize the approval process. The group reviewed the FDA’s approval of the shot and deemed it safe and effective.
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.
Individuals who have received the J&J vaccine and develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider, ICPHD said.
The department said adverse reactions following receipt of any COVID-19 vaccine should be reported using the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Those who are currently scheduled to receive the J&J vaccine should contact their healthcare provider, vaccination location, or clinic to learn about additional vaccine availability.
“ICPHD continues to encourage those who are eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to best protect themselves and others,” the department’s second release said. “We will keep everyone updated as we learn more about the J&J vaccine.”