SLO County pauses single-dose COVID-19 vaccine amid blood clot reports
The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department is temporarily pausing its use of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, as reports of blood clots pop up across the United States.
The agency tweeted Tuesday that it will be awaiting “additional information and recommendations from our federal partners.”
The announcement came after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration urged putting a halt on the rollout of the single-shot vaccine in the wake of six reported cases of blood clots tied to the vaccine around the country.
All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination, according to a joint CDC and FDA statement.
“Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” the statement read. “COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously.”
The CDC says it is reviewing the cases and will assess when the vaccine may come back online and whether the recommendations for who is eligible for it need to be adjusted.
Public health agencies immediately hopped on board the temporary halt following the CDC’s recommendation Tuesday.
“Out of an abundance of caution CA will follow the CDC & FDA & temporarily pause use of J&J,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted Tuesday morning. “J&J is just 4% of CA’s supply from the feds right now. Vaccines are still overwhelmingly safe.”
San Luis Obispo County public health officials warned those who have received the J&J vaccine within the past three weeks to be on the watch for symptoms such as a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain and shortness of breath.
If you experience those symptoms, you should contact your health provider, the agency tweeted.
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 11:39 AM.
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