San Francisco officials ordered the suspension of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine after reports of six patients developing rare blood clots.
City officials announced the implementation shortly before California State Governor Gavin Newsom also announced the temporary suspension of the vaccine in the state. Authorities said they are exercising extreme caution until health officials know more about the situation.
Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
The suspension of the coronavirus vaccine brand would not have severe impacts on this week’s vaccination efforts, local and state officials said. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine only made up a small portion of the overall supply in the region.
“As this adverse event is reported to be extremely rare with just over six reported cases nationwide, we do not believe there is cause for immediate alarm,” said San Francisco’s Department of Public Health.
This week, San Francisco only had 500 Johnson & Johnson doses out of its 10,000 dose supply. While it only constituted a small portion of the entire supply, officials hoped that the brand, which only required one shot, would help their vaccination efforts.
Contra Costa County health officials announced they also suspended the use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine. But authorities believe residents will not have to cancel vaccination appointments because the brand only makes up a small portion of the overall supply.
Along with California, New York, Texas, and Oregon also suspended the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Many believe the move would further stifle the country’s efforts to vaccination and protect the health of its citizens, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
San Francisco Health Officer Susan Philip urged people to still get vaccinated despite the news. “If people have an opportunity to get Moderna or Pfizer now they should not delay that. They shouldn’t be concerned about this news about Johnson & Johnson. We are pausing any further use of that,” she said.
