FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2021
Contact: Alexis Erikson, Public Relations Specialist
Phone: (907) 443-8918
FDA and CDC Lift Recommended Pause on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine
Nome, Alaska –Norton Sound Health Corporation is resuming use of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine after following a recommended pause on its administration.
NSHC is following guidance from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, which found after thorough safety review that the pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. should be lifted, and use of the vaccine should resume.
The initial pause was recommended after an extremely rare blood clot was found in six individuals, following the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. During the pause, medical and scientific teams at the FDA and CDC assessed the risk of the type of blood clot that occurs in individuals with low levels of blood platelets. The patients who have experienced the clots have been women aged 18-48, and symptoms occurred six to 13 days after their vaccinations. The chances of the clots occurring is about 1 in 500,000.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19, and FDA says that the vaccine’s known and potential benefits outweigh the risks.
NSHC has made COVID-19 vaccinations available to everyone 16 and older in the region. The mRNA vaccines Pfizer and Moderna, which are both two doses, are readily available. The single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine has become available to everyone of 18 years and older. In village communities, residents can call their local clinic to request their preferred vaccine. In Nome, residents may sign up for a two-dose Pfizer or single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccination by booking an appointment at www.picktime.com/NSHC.
More information on the safety review and the recommended pause can be found here https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/fda-cdc-lift-vaccine-use.html
