County joins J&J pause; clinics continue
The Monterey County Health Department said it would be following the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration Tuesday to pause administering the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Johnson & Johnson.
The pause does not affect the distribution of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and clinics using those will continue.
The Seaside Fire Department is hosting a vaccination clinic aimed at Seaside residents 18 years of age and older today using the Moderna vaccine with second doses planned for distribution in May.
Karen Smith, the county health department public information officer, said in a press release the CDC and FDA are reviewing six cases of a very rare type of blood clot that occurred in people who received the J&J vaccine. The six cases were in women between 18 and 48 years of age, with symptoms occurring six to 13 days after vaccination.
“CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will meet tomorrow to review the data and assess their impact,” read the statement.
Individuals can determine what type of vaccine they received by checking their CDC vaccination card given to them at their appointment. Those who received the J&J vaccine more than a month ago face very little risk. Individuals who received the J&J vaccine within the last two to three weeks and experience severe headache, shortness of breath, leg pain, and/or abdominal pain should contact their medical provider. These symptoms are very different from the mild flu-like illness many experience following vaccination.
“People who have upcoming vaccine appointments will be contacted by their vaccine service provider if there is a need to cancel or reschedule their appointment for vaccination,” said Smith in the statement. “If you are not contacted, please attend the vaccination clinic at your scheduled appointment time. Vaccination is a key component of national, state, and local strategies to slow the spread of COVID-19.”
Approximately 2.2 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine were shipped to California, about 898,000 of which have been administered. Over 9,600 Monterey County residents have been vaccinated with J&J since early March.
The Monterey County Health Department said it is not aware of any reports of the very rare
type of blood clot following a J&J COVID-19 vaccination among Monterey County residents.
“However, vaccine-related adverse events are reported to the national Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), not to local health departments,” said Smith.
This week’s Seaside Fire Department vaccination clinic will distribute the Moderna vaccine.
“We have 200 doses available,” said Mary Gutierrez, Seaside fire chief. “The only vaccine approved for use in people under 18 is Pfizer. Both the Moderna and (the paused) J&J are for 18 and older.”
Today from noon to 3:30 p.m. at the Oldemeyer Center, 986 Hilby Ave. in Seaside, residents who have scheduled an appointment for vaccination will receive their first shot of the Moderna vaccine with the second dose four weeks later to be scheduled sometime after.
For the vaccination clinic in Seaside, people will be asked for proof they are 18 years or older, such as a picture I.D., to verify they fit the age requirement.
Individuals will be able to sign up for their second shot through an online portal, reminded via email, or asked for a working phone number so they can be called when second-dose appointments become available, said
Gutierrez.
Though the clinic, another collaborative effort between the cities of Seaside and Monterey fire departments which conducted a clinic for homeless people in March, is geared toward Seaside residents to increase vaccination rates, Gutierrez said what is more important is that no doses go unused.
This past weekend, Natividad hospital hosted a two-day vaccination clinic at Everett Alvarez High School in Salinas with 8,100 doses of Pfizer vaccine available. A total of 7,889 vaccinations were administered but organizers had to scramble to fill appointments after 380 people did not show up on Saturday.
With reports of noshows at other vaccination clinics, and about 50 slots still available Tuesday morning, Gutierrez said that people from outside Seaside will be invited to sign up for vaccination.
But apart from making sure every available dose is used, is making sure the population being served can show up for the second shot.
“This is a two-dose clinic and part of the challenge is for people to pick a time slot and be available on May 12,” said Gutierrez.
Working with advocacy groups to reach out to the black and Latino communities, especially those without access to computers, the fire chief said “it is important to reach every segment of the population. We’ve had lots of face-toface contact with people.”
Those Seaside residents eligible for the vaccination may call 831-8996822 or 831-899-6712 for appointments or sign up for a clinic at www.caprepmod.org/reg/9210276141. Disregard the title of the clinic that states it will be at Monterey Fire Station 1, this clinic will be held at the Oldemeyer Center in Seaside.
Once an appointment time has been selected, add the required personal information. If there is no appointment slot available, add your name to the waitlist as clinic organizers anticipate being able to vaccinate some on that list. Under the insurance information section, select “none” as that information is not needed; there is no cost associated with getting vaccinated.
Arrive about 10 minutes before your scheduled time. The clinic is required to turn away people who are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine.
This clinic will provide the Moderna vaccine and those receiving their first dose at these clinics will be invited to a follow-up clinic via email 28 days later (on May 12th) to receive their second dose.
Smith said starting Thursday Monterey County residents will need to go to myturn.ca.gov to sign up for vaccine appointments. The county’s www.mcvaccinate.com website will still be operational and has a link to the state’s My Turn website.