Officials say vaccine pause won’t affect county distribution

While the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called for pausing the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, county health officials say distribution will not be affected.

San Joaquin County Public Health Services said it has notified all health providers of the pause, and will be providing additional doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines so vaccination events can continue as scheduled.

“The goal is to not cancel or postpone any appointments due to the pause, (but) rather supplement the supplies with on-hand vaccine as long as possible,” the agency said in an email to the News-Sentinel.

On Tuesday, the CDC and FDA issued a joint statement stating that there had been six reports of a rare and severe blood clot developing in individuals after receiving the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The clot, called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets, the agencies said.

All six of the reports occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms developed 6-13 days after receiving the vaccine.

There have been no reported cases of blood clots after receiving the vaccine in San Joaquin County, PHS said.

The CDC said it would meet with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday to review the reported cases and assess their potential significance.

“This is important, in part, to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot,” the agencies said in Tuesday’s joint statement.

“Right now, these adverse

events appear to be extremely rare,” they said. “COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID19 vaccination very seriously.”

The agencies said that anyone who has received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.

County public health did not disclose how many Johnson & Johnson vaccines it has received since it became available in late February.

As of Wednesday, county public health reported that 145,313 residents have been fully vaccinated, of which about 63% are those 65-74 years of age. Residents 75 and older make up about 61% of those fully vaccinated.

In Lodi’s 95242 ZIP Code, 3,113 people have been fully vaccinated, and 2,938 people have been fully vaccinated in the 96240 ZIP Code.

In the 95237 ZIP Code, which includes Lockeford, 162 people have been fully vaccinated, and 364 people have been fully vaccinated in the 95258 ZIP Code, which includes Woodbridge.

Another 531 people have been fully vaccinated in the 95220 ZIP Code, which includes Acampo.

There have been a total of 71,229 COVID-19 cases and 1,334 deaths in the county since the pandemic began. There are currently 1,215 active COVID-19 cases, and 68,680 people have recovered, according to county public health.