Debra Furr-Holden, associate dean for Public Health Integration at Michigan State University, answers questions about resuming the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. She is also the director of the Flint Center for Health Equity Solutions, funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities; and she was appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to be a member of the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities.
The vaccine is much safer than contracting COVID-19. To put this in perspective, out of 7-million doses of the J&J vaccine administered, less than 20 people developed clots. As an epidemiologist who studies health risks, I agree with medical colleagues across the world who agree the vaccine has proven to be safe and the clots that have occurred are extremely rare. We monitor adverse reactions on an ongoing basis from all of the currently available vaccines to make sure we understand and can minimize any risks.