State health officials hope vaccine rollout won’t drop
Pennsylvania’s decision to follow federal guidance and pause the usage of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine left Lehigh Valley health officials wondering what impact it could have on the state’s vaccine rollout, which has recently been gathering steam.
Pennsylvania temporarily halted the Johnson & Johnson vaccine Tuesday after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration recommended a pause because of rare blood clots developed in six women 18-48 years old. More than 6.8 million people have received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The pause in Pennsylvania is expected to last until at least April 20, state officials said Tuesday. Both St. Luke’s University Health Network and Lehigh Valley Health Network were bracing for an impact, while others worried the halt could fuel vaccine hesitancy in minority and rural communities. Some Lehigh Valley residents questioned if they made a mistake in recently getting the J&J shot.
The state’s order came on the same day that Pennsylvania opened vaccine eligibility to everyone 16 years and older.
St. Luke’s has 8,000 unused Johnson & Johnson doses, but all appointments
for the foreseeable future will be for Moderna or Pfizer doses, spokesperson Sam Kennedy said. The health network was planning to contact each patient scheduled for the J&J shot to discuss options.
“Depending on the location, we may be able to honor their appointment with one of the other vaccines. But we have to speak to each person because some don’t want the other vaccines,” Kennedy said.
St. Luke’s has given the J&J shot to more than 1,200 patients, 35% of whom are women ages 18-55. All Johnson & Johnson patients are being asked to self-monitor for symptoms.
LVHN has not yet used the J&J vaccine, but spokesperson Brian Downs said the temporary stoppage could create additional interest in appointments at LVHN clinics that carry the Pfizer or Moderna shots.
“We’ll have to see if appointments increase as a result,” Downs said. “But keep in mind this also comes at the same time everyone 16 and above is now eligible to get the vaccine, so there are several factors figuring into more people possibly seeking appointments now than there were before.”
Chrysan Cronin, director and associate professor of Public Health at Muhlenberg College, said she is concerned the pause could fuel vaccine hesitancy. She said once vaccinators resume administering the J&J vaccine, the CDC needs to have a robust communication campaign to inform people about the results of its investigation and analysis of the vaccine.
The pause may have effects besides vaccine hesitancy, though. Unlike the other two approved treatments, the J&J shot does not need to be stored at extremely cold temperatures and is a one-and-done shot. Because of this, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine has been touted as a way to more easily vaccinate people in marginalized and rural communities. Cronin said it is possible halting the J&J shot could have an impact on these communities.
“I think it depends on how long the pause lasts,” Cronin said “If it’s a week or less, then probably not too big an impact. If longer, then definitely yes.”
Cronin added there is still a good deal of information that isn’t publicly known about the six women who developed blood clots, including if other factors may have been at play.
“There are so many other things that cause blood clots,” Cronin said. “The other thing that ran through my head is these are all women of childbearing age. So were they also on a birth control pill that is much more likely to cause blood clots? We don’t have enough information about that.”
Pennsylvanians who received the J&J shot more than two weeks ago should not be concerned, Dr. Denise Johnson, the state’s acting physician general, said in a news briefing Tuesday. In March, Pennsylvania
directed its shipments of the J&J vaccine to local and regional Intermediate Units throughout the state to vaccinate teachers and school staff.
One Lehigh Valley resident who had the J&J vaccine last week wondered if she made a mistake getting the shot.
Deanne Daniel, 52, of Upper Saucon Township and her husband got the shot April 6 after their son urged them to. She said the shot was convenient; a one-shot deal at their local Giant supermarket. After Tuesday’s news, she said she isn’t sure if she did the right thing.
“Did I do something that I shouldn’t have done,” Daniel said. “Now I’m a little worried.”
Alissa Marushak, 40, who got the J&J vaccine last month, said she’s not worried. She said the percentage of those who had blood clots from the vaccine is so low that this pause is an overreaction. Marushak, of Upper Saucon Township, noted that all vaccines come with some risk.
But Marushak worried what others would think.
“I personally would still feel confident getting the vaccine,” Marushak said. “I worry that this will make people more hesitant to get the vaccines and I worry that it will slow everything down.”