Anxious about J&J side effects, Norwalker ‘relieved’ by vaccine pause

NORWALK — Corey Mendell was set to receive the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday afternoon at a Stratford clinic, but began developing concerns regarding the vaccine’s efficacy in the days leading up to his appointment.

Then reports of six U.S. women, ranging in age from 18 to 48, developing serious blood clots surfaced. And on Tuesday morning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a joint statement with the Food and Drug Administration recommending a halt on use of the vaccine until further notice.

“I’ve just been following the data as it comes in,” Mendell said.

“Statistically, the risk is vanishingly small, but any risk of dangerous side effects is going to cause some anxiety.”

Mendell, a software engineer who has lived in Norwalk for a decade, received a notification through the Vaccine Administration Management System that his inoculation scheduled for Tuesday was being switched to the Moderna vaccine.

“I’m relieved in the sense that there are no safety reports that I’m aware of for the Moderna one,” Mendell said. “Of the three it has the worst side effects which won’t be fun, but it should be perfectly safe.”

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use mRNA science, essentially tricking the body into producing the spike protein that fights the virus, while the J&J shot is a viral vector vaccine, which injects part of a different virus that helps produce a harmless piece of what is known as COVID-19, according to the CDC.

In searching for a vaccine appointment, Mendell said the J&J shot in Stratford was the first available option, but he had no particular desire to receive it over the others.

Mendell said he was always on board with getting a COVID-19 vaccine, and the latest news regarding J&J has not dampened his desire to be vaccinated.

About 750 J&J COVID-19 vaccines were administered by the Norwalk Health Department in recent weeks prior to Gov. Ned Lamont calling for a pause on the administering of all J&J vaccines in Connecticut on Tuesday morning.

In all six cases the women developed the clot within two weeks of receiving the vaccine, according to the statement from the CDC.

No adverse reactions to the J&J vaccine were reported from vaccine recipients in Norwalk or statewide.

The J&J vaccine was administered at the Bow Tie Cinemas vaccination clinic conducted by the Norwalk Health Department earlier this month. However, Morgan said the next vaccination clinic at the South Norwalk movie theater, set for Wednesday, was always planned for the Moderna vaccine.

“Tomorrow’s clinic at Bow Tie and other smaller ones this week have always been planned as Moderna, so no changes are needed,” he said.

Morgan added he didn’t believe the city had anymore J&J vaccines in stock.

Roughly 100,000 Connecticut residents have received the J&J vaccine with no reported serious adverse events, according to a statement from Lamont. Nationally, about 6.8 million people have received the J&J vaccine, according to the CDC.

“DPH has informed vaccine providers that were planning to hold clinics using J&J today and in the coming days to delay these clinics or offer an alternative vaccine if they have alternative vaccines available,” the governor’s statement read.

The CDC and FDA recommend that people who have received the J&J vaccine who develop a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after receiving the vaccine should contact their health care provider.