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Fewer C. Oregonians got paused single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

(Update: Adding video, comment from Deschutes County Health Services, J and J recipient)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Tina Chouinard was perfectly fine getting the Johnson and Johnson vaccine on march 31st.

"I was happy with the one-shot deal because going back for a second time was just going to be a little bit more of a problem for me," the Bend resident told NewsChannel 21 on Tuesday.

The single dose is a popular advantage of the shot, but now there's six cases of severe blood clots potentially linked to the vaccine.

"Obviously because I've gotten the vaccine I'm a tad concerned," Chouinard said.

After a recommendation from the CDC and FDA, the Oregon Health Authority told providers to hold off on the J and J shot.

Of the more than 120-thousand vaccine doses given in Deschutes County, 82,418 have been the Pfizer vaccine. 37,355 have been the Moderna.

But just 2,864 have been the Johnson and Johnson. That works out to about 2.3 percent of all vaccine doses. But that number is a little misleading because it's a one dose vaccine, 3.77 percent of all vaccinated people have gotten the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in Deschutes County.

Deschutes County Health Services says no Johnson and Johnson doses were scheduled for the clinic at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds this week, but it still leaves uncertainty.

Dr. Wil Berry, medical director for Deschutes County Health said, "I don't think we know yet what all of the implications of the pause are going to be."

Dr. Berry agreed it was right to proceed with caution.

"I'm sure the FDA and the CDC understand hitting the pause button could create a challenge around building trust in the vaccine,” he said. “But from my perspective, I'm really glad they were transparent about it, even though it's a very low number of people at this point."

Dr Berry said the county will be ready to continue administering J and J should it be un-paused. And Chouinard said it's worth the slight risk. "I am definitely for the vaccine and I think everyone should get vaccinated," she said.

Release from OHA:

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon Health Authority asked all of the state’s vaccine providers to immediately pause administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, following an announcement Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The recommendation for a pause was made out of an abundance of caution, OHA said, as teams from the CDC and FDA review six reported cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after vaccination with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The measures announced Tuesday followed reports of six cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in women ages 18-48, with about 6.8 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered nationally to date. Symptoms in these patients began six to 13 days following vaccination.

None of the reported cases were in Oregon, officials said.

The CDC is convening its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday to review data at a public meeting.

This pause in vaccination is recommended until ACIP and FDA reviews are completed.

The blood clotting cases, reported in about one per million administered Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses, were identified in the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), which tracks vaccine safety monitoring nationally.

People who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.

Health care providers statewide have been asked to report adverse events to the VAERS online tracking system.

The CDC and FDA statement reminds health care providers that the administration of heparin, normally used to treat blood clots, may be dangerous in the setting of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, and alternative treatments should be given.

As of Monday, 85,148 Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses have been administered in Oregon and 213,300 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine delivered to vaccine sites statewide. The vaccine has been delivered to pharmacies, outpatient clinics, federally qualified health centers, local public health authorities and health systems.

A copy of the joint CDC and FDA announcement can be found here.

Article Topic Follows: Coronavirus

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Jack Hirsh

Jack Hirsh is a multimedia journalist for NewsChannel 21. Learn more about Jack here.

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