Solano County to pause use J&J COVID vaccine, won't cancel appointments
(Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
Solano County health officials say they will continue to honor appointments made at county-run vaccination clinics while temporarily switching away from the Johnson & Johnson variant of the coronavirus vaccine.
The news comes after federal and state health officials expressed concern over the vaccine, which has been linked to several reported cases of rare blood clots forming in some patients who receive the shot.
The Johnson & Johnson variant of the vaccine is highly sought after by some individuals because it is effective in preventing serious symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus COVID-19 after just one dose. Other variants of the coronavirus vaccine produced by Pfizer and Moderna are equally effective but require two doses administered weeks apart. None of the shots are proven to prevent infection of the virus.
For those reasons, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is preferred in some areas, especially rural ones where easy access to a hospital or health clinic is made difficult due to geography, distance or other factors. Solano County is among the regions procuring and distributing that version of the vaccine, along with the Pfizer and Moderna variants.
On Tuesday, federal health officials said they would stop using the Johnson & Johnson version of the vaccine after receiving reports that several individuals developed rare blood clots. Some of those cases required hospitalization, and at least one of those afflicted with the complication died from it.
Health officials in California also urged local governments to temporarily stop administering the Johnson & Johnson variant of the vaccine until they receive additional guidance from their federal counterparts.
The pause is intended to give the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention a chance to convene health experts and update guidance on administration of the vaccine, which is expected to happen on Wednesday.
Prior to the pause, Solano County had offered appointments to administer the Johnson & Johnson variant of the vaccine at some of its health clinics. County health officials told the Vallejo Times Herald newspaper that those appointments will still be honored, with the county switching to Pfizer and Moderna variants of the vaccine until they received additional guidance from the state. Patients who receive either version of the shot will need to come back in three to four weeks to get a second dose, they said.
County health officials said they did not predict any serious disruption in their operations because they were already experiencing a short supply of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and didn’t expect to receive an increase in supply for another few weeks.
Those who are interested in receiving a COVID-19 shot are urged to fill out the county’s interest form, which can be accessed by clicking or tapping here.
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