Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Florida suspends use of J&J vaccine
Florida will suspend use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine, after it was linked to rare and dangerous blood clots, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.
The governor said Florida would follow recommendations issued Tuesday by the federal government, which temporarily halted use of the vaccine at federal sites after blood clots were discovered in six women.
“We’re respecting that decision; we’re going to follow that recommendation and monitor what they’re doing for the time being,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Palmetto in Manatee County. “But I think what they’re doing is out of an abundance of caution. I don’t think people should be worried who have already had it who haven’t had any effects. I think it’s likely to be very effective for you.”
The Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration both called for a suspension of the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after it was linked to rare blood clots in female recipients.
Six women between the ages of 18 and 48 developed the blood clots within two weeks of vaccination. One died and another remains hospitalized.
The J&J vaccine had become an important tool in the state’s vaccination effort. Last week, before production problems reduced deliveries, the J&J vaccine accounted for nearly 40% of the 811,400 doses received the state, and that doesn’t count doses administered at federal vaccination sites.
“This is a setback,” said Dr. Mary Jo Trepka, chairwoman of the epidemiology department at Florida International University. “The question is how much of a setback will it be.”
Federal authorities will treat the issue with urgency, she said, although any review is likely to take at least a few days.
“They have to read all the data, they have to discuss it, and they have to do it carefully,” she said. “I don’t think it will take weeks, but it’s not something where they’ll be able to do a 24-hour turnover.”
The discovery of the blood-clot issue, she said, at least shows that the system for detecting vaccine problems is highly effective, which should strengthen trust for the vaccines.
“It shows surveillance for this adverse events is active, and it’s being monitored very carefully,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that these events have occurred, but the system is working.”
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is unique in the current trio of approved COVID vaccines in that it requires only a single shot. By Monday, a total of 473,416 people had received the J&J dose, according to the Florida Department of Health. Nearly 4 million people in the state have received both doses of the other two vaccines.
Many vaccine doses
received by the state are shipped to private medical practices, which have been taking on a growing role in a vaccination efforts originally dominated by mass-vaccination sites and hospitals.
At Prime Health Physicians in Coral Gables, which received 500 doses of the J&J vaccine last week, Dr. Leunam Rodriguez said he decided to temporarily pause vaccinations.
“It’s difficult to decide if the reactions are related to this vaccine or not,” he said. “Meanwhile, people are still dying from COVID.”
He said the pause on
vaccinations will last at least until the CDC meets Wednesday and provides more clarity on what to do.
Florida received 43,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week. The state also received 511,370 Moderna and Pfizer doses.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet Wednesday to discuss the vaccine.
The governor said he hoped and expected that the federal review of the vaccine would allow for the resumption of its use, saying it’s been a highly effective weapon against
the pandemic.
“There’s no question that it’s saved lives already,” said DeSantis, who himself received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. “Hopefully they’ll do this quickly, get the information, and then hopefully we can move forward. My hope would be this is something that’s a little bit of a speed bump.”