As the CDC and FDA announce a pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, locally our health department responds. If you received this vaccine, there are suggestions for you which you can see below:
Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a joint statement on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine, recommending an immediate pause in the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine. All vaccinators planning to give the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are being asked to cancel any upcoming appointments to give this vaccine and keep the vaccine in storage. The WI Department of Health Services and Eau Claire City- County Health Department are following this recommendation. COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the Health Department, and we take all reports of health problems following any vaccination very
seriously.
This pause is being recommended out of an abundance of caution. The CDC and FDA are looking at data from six reported cases (out of 6.8 million doses given in the U.S.) of a rare and severe type of blood clot in people who had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This pause is to help the health care system to recognize and treat patients appropriately.
What if I received Johnson & Johnson vaccine?
• Anyone who has received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine within the last three weeks should
watch for severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath. Anyone who has
these symptoms should call their doctor right away and seek medical treatment. These side
effects are extremely rare.
• For people who got the vaccine more than a month ago, the risk to them is very low at this
time.
• Anyone who has been vaccinated in the last two weeks can also sign up for V-safe, a
smartphone-based, post-vaccination health checker program through the CDC, uses text
messages and web surveys to check in with people who received a COVID-19 vaccine for the first
14 days after getting vaccinated.
What if I had an appointment scheduled to get Johnson & Johnson vaccine?
If you were scheduled to get Johnson & Johnson vaccine, it is recommended that you cancel your appointment. If the health care provider or pharmacy you were scheduled with has Pfizer or Moderna appointments available, please consider making an appointment to receive one of those vaccines. These types of side effects are not being seen in people who have gotten the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
You can visit vaccinate.wi.gov to make an appointment at the Health Department clinic at Zorn Arena in Eau Claire to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Appointments are available this week. To date, 4606 Eau Claire County residents have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The Health Department administered 3498 of those doses. The Health Department will be contacting individuals who received Johnson & Johnson vaccine at a Health Department Clinic to watch for signs of these rare side effects.
