State health officials say the available vaccines are safe and effective, despite scattered reports from North Carolina of people fainting after getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Dr. Brannon Traxler, the state Department of Health and Environmental Controlâs interim director of public health, described the reaction as âvasovagal syncope,â a sudden drop in blood pressure and heart rate in response to an overreaction. She said in a Friday media briefing some people faint as a result of this kind of reaction, and it can be triggered by the sight of needles or blood, among other triggers.
âAt this point there have been no serious adverse effects that have caused us any alarms for any of these vaccines,â she said.
South Carolina health board picks new agency leader
By MICHELLE LIUDecember 22, 2020 GMT
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) After months without a permanent director at the helm of the agency overseeing South Carolina’s coronavirus response, the state’s health board selected a military doctor to head the state’s health and environmental department Tuesday.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control board unanimously voted for Dr. Edward Simmer, who previously oversaw civilian medical and dental care for the Defense Health Agency in Virginia and will retire from three decades of Navy service at the end of the year. The board-certified psychiatrist also holds a master’s degree in public health.