Clinic changes: Stanislaus County reacts to concerns about Johnson & Johnson COVID shots
Stanislaus County health officials have suspended use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine at its coronavirus vaccination clinics after federal agencies raised concerns about adverse reactions to the vaccine.
The county action follows reports that six women in the United States developed rare blood clots from six to 13 days after receiving shots of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. One of the women died, according to published reports.
The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a joint news release the adverse events appear to be rare.
The county Health Services Agency was slated to administer Johnson & Johnson shots at a Salvation Army mobile clinic Tuesday morning in Turlock.
Kamlesh Kaur, a spokesperson for the county agency, said the Turlock clinic is not injecting the Johnson & Johnson product after it was flagged by federal officials. The clinic at 893 Lander Ave. runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“We have switched to Moderna vaccines at the Salvation Army today,” Kaur said by email. The county health agency will administer the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccines at clinics the rest of this week, she said.
In a message posted on social media, the county said clinics previously planned this week for J&J shots will take place as planned using Moderna vaccine.
“Stanislaus County is in continuous communication with the California Department of Public Health and will continue to provide updates on our vaccine efforts locally,” said a message on the Stanemergency.com Facebook page. “In alignment with the recommendations from Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, administration of (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine is paused.”
Kaur said allocations of Johnson & Johnson vaccine decreased in the last week, but the county saw an increase in Moderna and Pfizer doses allocated to the county.
Stanislaus County has primarily administered the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna shots at its large coronavirus vaccination clinics. No safety concerns have been raised about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Golden Valley Health Centers announced last week it would offer 1,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine at a public clinic in Riverbank on Thursday. Golden Valley issued a press release Tuesday morning saying the Riverbank clinic will provide Pfizer vaccine, which is two doses.
The health centers are following the federal recommendation to suspend the use of Johnson & Johnson.
“Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” Golden Valley’s news release said. “Patient safety is our top priority at Golden Valley Health Centers, we are pausing any further J&J vaccinations at this time. (Golden Valley) will continue to offer both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine at many of our locations.”
The news release said any Golden Valley patients who received a J&J shot and experience severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks of the shot, should contact Golden Valley by calling or texting 866-682-4842 to schedule a primary care appointment.
The county Health Services Agency had planned to bring the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to inoculate migrant workers against COVID-19 because of the difficulties of scheduling two doses for those workers. Gov. Gavin Newsom publicly received a shot of the one-dose vaccine April 1.
Tuesday morning, the California Department of Public Health said the state is following the FDA and CDC’s recommendation to pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine “out of an abundance of caution.” The state has told health care providers not to use the vaccine pending further direction from health experts.
State health officials will convene a scientific safety review workgroup to review the information from federal agencies on the safety of the J&J vaccine. Officials don’t anticipate a slowdown in coronavirus vaccination efforts in California. About 4 percent of California’s current vaccine supply is the Johnson & Johnson shots.
Dr. Erica Pan, state epidemiologist, noted the six cases of rare and severe blood clots were reported among 6.8 million doses of the single-dose vaccine administered nationwide.
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 10:37 AM.
