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New Hanover and Brunswick counties, as well as UNCW and NHRMC will halt the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (Port City Daily/File)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it will pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the United States, causing N.C. public health, local counties and providers to follow suit on Tuesday.
The pause comes after six 18-to-48-year-old women, within six to 13 days after receiving the J&J vaccine, were diagnosed with a rare blood clot (cerebral venous sinus thrombosis) in combination with low blood platelets (thrombocytopenia). It left one dead and another in serious condition.
More than 60,000 people have been fully vaccinated in New Hanover County. (Port City Daily / Courtesy New Hanover County)
While just a month or so ago, folks were scurrying to get hard-to-come-by vaccine appointments in the tri-county region, today slots are readily available. Currently, all three public health departments New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender are reporting appointments open. They have been all week, in fact.
Does that mean people are less interested in receiving the Covid-19 vaccine? Or that there is more supply?
Judging by state numbers alone, over the last five weeks, North Carolina was vaccinating over 400,000 people a week, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ dashboard. This week the number was down almost by half, at around 230,000 vaccinations.
With COVID-19 vaccines still in high demand, New Hanover County health officials say they’ve thrown out less than five doses of the vaccine. That’s compared to almost 50,000 administered by the public health department.
Overall, North Carolina has had to throw out around 5,700 vaccines out of more than 4 million received, said Bailey Pennington, communications specialist for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
The state department recommends no vaccine doses be wasted, and encourages local health departments to have an on call list of those available to receive a vaccine to ensure doses are administered if there are any leftovers due to no-show or cancelled appointments.
By Scott Nunn, posted About 3 hours ago
A New Hanover County employee receives a COVID-19 vaccine last month. The health department said it would not be immediately affected by a nationwide pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (Photo courtesy of New Hanover County)
The nation’s massive vaccination effort hit a snag Tuesday when, citing safety concerns, two federal health agencies called for a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
Officials at the CDC and FDA are reviewing six cases in which a rare and severe type of blood clot developed after the person received the J&J vaccine, which, unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, requires only one dose.