Providers in Ohio can immediately resume Johnson and Johnson vaccines
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW)– Providers in Ohio can immediately resume administering the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Mike DeWine announced in a news release on Friday.
The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control lifted an 11-day pause on the one-shot vaccine. A review uncovered 15 vaccine recipients developed a highly unusual blood clot, out of nearly 8 million people given the Johnson & Johnson shot. All were women and most under age 50. Three died and seven remain hospitalized.
“Our country’s vaccine safety system has worked as designed – these extremely rare, serious blood-clotting events were reported into the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), and the vaccine distribution was paused to allow a thorough review of the facts and time to educate healthcare providers on the rare events,” DeWine said in a news release.
“Now, a comprehensive analysis by the independent medical professionals on the ACIP has resulted in the recommendation that the benefits of Johnson & Johnson vaccine outweigh the risks, and that vaccine administration resume. The CDC and FDA have accepted those recommendations, lifting the pause on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Providers in Ohio are permitted to immediately resume administering Johnson & Johnson vaccines in Ohio, provided they continue to follow all guidance by the CDC and FDA.”
The Ohio Department of Health will issue guidance to vaccine providers and health care workers on cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome.
The Johnson & Johnson shot was set to be administered during the final two weeks of the mass vaccination clinic at the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University. The state opted to use the Pfizer vaccine instead during the pause. There was not indication from the state the clinic would be switching back.
People who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and develop shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, neurological symptoms or petechiae beyond the site of vaccination should seek immediate medical care, according to the FDA.
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