Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Governor DeWine have recommended pausing the administration of the Johnson and Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine because of rare blood-clotting events which occurred in 6 of the over 6.8 million people who have received the vaccine. See the full press release here.
Vaccinators are advised to STOP the administration of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine until further notice. Continue to store the vaccine under appropriate refrigeration requirements. Further guidance will be sent out from the FDA and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).
If patients who have previously received the Johnson and Johnson (Janssen) vaccine contact vaccinators with questions, they can be made aware of the symptoms of blood clots, including severe unexplained headache, one-sided leg pain, leg swelling, or chest pain after vaccine administration. These symptoms are different from other flu-like symptoms seen with the vaccine. Patients with appointments for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine can continue to receive vaccines. The FDA and CDC are working to provide further clarification on this issue.
If you have further questions, please direct them to Myriam Shaw Ojeda at mshawojeda@ohiopharmacists.org.