MALHEUR COUNTY
As health authorities around the country fall in line with federal guidance to push the pause on distributing anymore of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine until further review, officials with the Malheur County Health Department say the reason is for an âextremely rare potential side effect.â Additionally, they state that if it is related, looking at the overall data matters.
âIf it is related, itâs important to keep in perspective that itâs six out of 6.8 million, and that the risk of potentially damaging health effects and risk of death from COVID-19 are far greater,â reads an emailed reply from Erika Harmon, public information officer at Malheur County Health Department on Tuesday morning. âVaccines are safe and effective, and they are necessary to save lives.â
In this March 31, 2021, file photo, a nurse fills a syringe with Johnson & Johnson s one-dose COVID-19 vaccine at the Vaxmobile, at the Uniondale Hempstead Senior Center, in Uniondale, N.Y. U.S. health regulators on Tuesday, April 13, is recommending a “pause” in using the vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots.
U.S. authorities said they are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine.
The Oregon Health Authority on Tuesday morning asked the state’s vaccine providers to immediately stop administering the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
WESTERN TREASURE VALLEY
The Argus Observer is reaching out to public health officials this morning regarding the breaking national news about the U.S. ârecommending a âpauseâ in administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine,â as reported by the Associated Press early this morning.
Many will likely be meeting this morning to discuss the development.
Erika Harmon, public information officer for the Malheur County Health Department said that is what she and Director Sarah Poe will be doing this morning, after their weekly staff meeting wraps up.
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are investigating reports of potentially dangerous blood clots, with six women reportedly having developed them âdays after vaccination, in combination with reduced platelet counts.â
‘Why do we only have 100 people planning to come?’ Some rural counties still battle vaccine hesitancy OregonLive.com 16 mins ago Andrew Theen, oregonlive.com
Nearly a month ago, Joseph P. Fiumara Jr. started noticing a worrisome trend at COVID-19 vaccine clinics run by his health department in eastern Oregon: more and more appointments for first doses went unclaimed.
Even as additional Umatilla County residents became eligible, doses sat unused. In stark contrast to the Portland area, where appointments can be gone in a flash, even walk-in clinics hadn’t filled up.
The county kept accruing a surplus of doses. Enough to start raising questions.
ONTARIO
Ontario High School students who will be able to get to campus for in-person classes during the mornings of four school days for the final five weeks of the year will be able to do so starting on April 19. After listening to a presentation by OHS staff, hearing public comment which included student feedback, and discussing it amongst themselves, the Ontario School Board of Directors unanimously decided to go with a revised hybrid learning model, which will still offer comprehensive distance learning for those not ready or unable to get back to class.
At the top of the presentation, Melissa Williams, director of student services provided an overview of the new guidance from Oregon Department of Education, which is an 88-page document âmost of us have read many, many times.â She pointed out critical changes that were impacting them, including physical distancing requirements between cohorts and staff and students, transportation and meal services.