The Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration have pumped the brakes on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine distribution.
The agencies say they’re reviewing six reported cases of a rare type of blood clot in people who have received the vaccine. Riley County Health Department Director and Local Health Officer Julie Gibbs tells KMAN that 1,353 doses of the vaccine have been administered to date in Riley County between Lafene Health Center, home bound individuals and mobile clinics.
“To the best of our knowledge, no one who received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine from Riley County has had any issues with blood clots or other serious side effects. Now we will continue to monitor the situation and follow the guidance as issued by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the federal government,” she said.
Ascension Via Christi has also not admitted any patients with blood clots or other side effects to date. The health department held two vaccine clinics, on Friday and Monday where the Johnson & Johnson vaccines were administered to a little more than 100 residents in south Manhattan.
On Tuesday, Pottawatomie County also announced it would be following KDHE guidance and are in the process of contacting anyone that has an appointment at its clinic Wednesday to reschedule or offer the Moderna vaccine instead. The health department will wait until a Wednesday follow up meeting to determine how to proceed with future clinics, including the Tulip Festival, where two Johnson & Johnson vaccine clinics are scheduled this weekend. To date, no adverse reactions to the J&J vaccine have been reported in Pottawatomie County.
Gibbs advised residents Tuesday to be patient and await more information on the efficacy of the vaccine.
“These findings are new and much more research needs to be done before concluding that all six of those cases are in fact side effects from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Also please keep in mind that while it’s horrible that anyone experiences blood clots, this is out of 6.8 million vaccines administered, so it is a rare side effect if any,” she said.
A majority of the vaccines administered in Riley County to date have been the two-dose Moderna shots.
As for what happens with the county’s supply of current Johnson & Johnson vaccines, Gibbs noted she was meeting with KDHE later Tuesday and will provide an update once more information becomes available.
A media call with FDA and CDC officials took place Tuesday morning and can be found below.
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