What Does the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Suspension Mean for US Distribution PlansExBulletin

Debbie Elliott, Host:

The CDC states that the suspension of Johnson & Johnson vaccine administration will continue at least until next Friday. This announcement was made shortly before the national vaccine deployment milestone. This is an update that means millions of people are eligible for injections.

Pien Huang of NPR is here to share the latest information on vaccines and their distribution. Good morning, Pien.

PIEN HUANG, Byline: Good morning, Debbie.

Elliott: So, according to the latest Johns Hopkins figures, it should be noted that people are still dead with COVID-a little over 566,000 in the United States alone. Therefore, it is absolutely important to use these vaccines as weapons. Looking at the big picture, how is the development going?

HUANG: Almost half of adults in the United States receive at least one COVID-19 vaccine. That’s more than 126 million people, and that’s according to CDC data. However, from Monday across the country, the government announced that anyone over the age of 16 is eligible to be vaccinated. This is CDC Director Rochelle Warrensky.

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ROCHELLE WALENSKY: If you have not been vaccinated, we recommend that you get vaccinated as soon as possible. Extensive vaccination is the only way we can ultimately overcome this pandemic.

HUANG: Well, the White House says it doesn’t mean that everyone can make an appointment right away, but their goal is to have enough dose to cover all adults by the end of May. That is.

Elliott: This week’s vaccine distribution had that problem with the Johnson & Johnson version.

HUANG: Yeah. On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration and CDC health officials suspended the use of the J & J vaccine while investigating the possibility of rare but serious side effects. Six women developed a rare blood coagulation disorder about 1-2 weeks after vaccination. In addition to having low platelet counts, they developed severe blood clots that prevented blood from draining the brain. And obviously, the combination of these two is very rare. A woman has died.

So the CDC and FDA said, hold on. You need to understand what is happening. You also need to teach patients and clinicians how to find and treat it.

Elliott: So what do we know about how long the pause will last and what will happen next?

HUANG: Well, this week was a real scramble. Some clinics awaited further guidance from health authorities and, if possible, canceled their appointments or vaccinated Pfizer and Moderna. And the pause can last for at least another week. Currently, the CDC is collecting more information and looking for more cases. Symptoms to watch out for include severe headaches, abdominal pain, blurred vision, and shortness of breath. Therefore, if you have been vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson in the last 3 weeks and any of these symptoms occur, health officials are advised to see a doctor immediately.

Next Friday, the CDC is planning a large all-day meeting. They confirm what is known and decide whether to limit it in some way to end the pause. It should also be added that these two side effects were not seen with the other two vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna.

Elliott: This pause for information gathering should be encouraging, but are there any signs that this has reduced people’s confidence in these vaccines?

HUANG: Well, there are no clear signs yet, but health officials will put off people just by hearing about serious side effects, even if it’s very rare and related to just one vaccine. I am concerned that it may be. However, surgeon General Bibek Mercy said making the vaccine available to all adults should counter hesitation.

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VIVEK MURTHY: The more people around you, especially your family and friends, see you get vaccinated, the more you get used to getting vaccinated yourself.

HUANG: Data are still available, but millions of people have been vaccinated with one of the other vaccines after the suspension was announced.

Elliott: It’s NPR health reporter Pien Fan. Thank you, Pien.

HUANG: Thank you, Debbie.

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