Sites turn to alternatives amid Johnson & Johnson pause, growing concerns

Concerns continue to arise over the city's choice to put the Johnson & Johnson vaccine coronavirus vaccine on pause.

News 12 Staff

Apr 14, 2021, 12:08 PM

Updated 1,327 days ago

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Concerns continue to arise over the city's choice to put the Johnson & Johnson vaccine coronavirus vaccine on pause.
Dozens of sites turned to Pfizer or Moderna to help those scheduled for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Some people who headed to Yankee Stadium to get vaccinated on Wednesday were hesitant.
"I'm in between. I'm not sure, because no matter what, that's not 100%," Diane Nunez said. She was scheduled to take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and because of the pause, she was offered Pfizer instead. "I really was concerned. I wasn't going to take it at all, didn't want to take it at all, and my son said, 'You should take it to be safe.' I said, 'Nothing here is safe' because you could get it and have a reaction, and then what?" she asked.
Others, however, decided to trust the vaccination process and said they should get vaccinated in order to have a protection from the virus. They added that they were confident in the vaccinations that were available
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held an emergency meeting Wednesday with the Food and Drug Administration and the advisory committee to review and investigate what caused six women to develop blood clots after taking the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
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Health official said the women developed a type of blood clots in the vessels that drain blood from the brain, combined with other complications.
The women are all between the ages of 18 and 48. One woman has died, and another is in critical condition.
Health officials continue stressed that this appears to be rare out of the 7 million doses that have been administered across the country.
"To do the investigation quickly, to understand whether there's a connection between the vaccine and the adverse events. If a connection is found, then the FDA and CDC may come out with recommendations that include warnings for example that certain populations may be at increased risk," said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.
Until these health agencies clarify what they're planning to approve or do next, those who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine recently are advised to pay attention to any of these symptoms: severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain and shortness of breath.
Those who develop any of those symptoms within three weeks after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are advised to reach out to a doctor.
White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine a few months ago are fine.