Grand Rapids doctor says J&J vaccine pause is opportunity to convey what is known
and last updated 2021-04-14 09:05:50-04
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. â A Grand Rapids doctor said the pause in the use of Johnson & Johnsonâs COVID-19 vaccine is not a bad thing.
Thatâs because it gives experts an opportunity to review the data on the six cases of a rare blood clot in individuals who had gotten the vaccine, says Dr. Abha Gupta Varma.
âIt is a collective stop and offers an opportunity to convey what is known to the public and physician community,â Varma said. âIt offers a playbook on a 1 in a million and otherwise extremely rare illness, along with its symptoms, diagnosis and its management. It offers the recipients in the community the appropriate knowledge of symptoms, and it arms the treating medical community with the appropriate seriousness and approach to this otherwise rare event. It is in effect: a time out.â
Arizona health officials working to substitute COVID-19 vaccines after recommended J&J pause
Chris O Meara/AP
FILE - This Oct. 16, 2012 file photo shows the Johnson & Johnson logo on a package of Band-Aids, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Johnson & Johnson reports quarterly financial results on Tuesday, July 14, 2015. (AP Photo/Chris O Meara, File)
and last updated 2021-04-13 14:42:04-04
PHOENIX â Arizona Department of Health Services and Maricopa County Department of Health are recommending the pause of the Johnson and Johnson coronavirus vaccine distribution after the CDC and FDA released the same recommendation Tuesday morning. The primary goal is to understand all of the information available and to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for this rare adverse event and can recognize and manage this unique type of blood clot. It is important for the public to know that this rare blood clot has not been reported following receipt of the Pfizer
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is ordering all vaccine providers to stop administering doses of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine until at least April 20.It comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration recommended the pause in order to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots.The Wolf administration said it was following the recommendation out of an abundance of caution. While this announcement is challenging, it highlights the vaccine evaluation process, Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said in a news release. The CDC and the FDA are closely monitoring vaccines for safety and effectiveness, and if there is a cause for concern, they will take action because safety is paramount. This protocol should give all Pennsylvanians confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, and individuals should proceed with getting vaccinated as soon as possible to fight the virus