J&J vaccine ‘paused’ after adverse reactions at Ga. site

State officials halted COVID vaccinations at a Cumming site after eight people had adverse reactions to getting a Johnson & Johnson shot there last week.

The CDC was evaluating the situation in the Atlanta suburb and in three other states — Iowa, Colorado and Michigan.

One person in Cumming was evaluated at a hospital and then released, the Department of Public Health said Friday. The other seven were monitored at the vaccine site — the Cumming Fairgrounds — and sent home.

The reactions “were consistent with common reactions in adults being vaccinated with any vaccine, but due to the number of individuals affected, the site stopped the J&J vaccinations to evaluate,’’ Public Health said in a news release.

There were 425 J&J vaccines administered at the Forsyth County site Wednesday. Tens of thousands of J&J doses have been given statewide with no adverse reactions, Public Health said.

“There is no reason to believe there is anything wrong with the vaccine itself, and other individuals who have received the J&J vaccine should not be concerned,” Dr. Kathleen Toomey, Public Health commissioner, said in a statement. “We are looking into what happened and what may have caused the reactions, including the conditions at the fairgrounds such as heat and the ability to keep the site cool.’’

The J&J vaccine for COVID-19 has an advantage in its convenience because it requires only one shot, while the other types now in use in the United States require two shots spaced weeks apart.

North Carolina health officials said Thursday, April 8, that they stopped administering Johnson & Johnson doses at a mass vaccination site in Raleigh and at clinics in Hillsborough and Chapel Hill after at least 26 people experienced adverse reactions, including fainting, the Association Press reported. Four people were taken to hospitals for further examination.

In Colorado last week, 11 people saw adverse reactions after receiving a J&J shot. Two were taken to a hospital.

CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said adverse reactions in these states include dizziness, light-headedness, feeling faint and rapid breathing, according to the AP.

Amber Schmidtke, a public health expert who tracks COVID-19 in Georgia with the Daily Digest, said such reactions are “why we want to observe people for 15 minutes after getting a shot.’’

She said Public Health is properly cautious after such an event “while they sort things out.’’