Iowa pauses Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout
Rare blood clot disorder seen in 6 people halts administration
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Administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has been suspended nationwide following news of a rare blood clotting disorder potentially associated with the shot.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), data is being reviewed involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. In these cases, a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets. All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms arose 6 to 13 days after vaccination.
O'Brien County Public Health suspended a portion of a vaccine clinic
today (Thursday) that was slated to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The clinic also has Moderna's vaccine available, so those doses will be administered without delay, according to a news release.
As of Monday, 83,685 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been administered in Iowa. That number tallied more than 6.8 million nationwide.
O'Brien and Clay counties didn't receive doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine until last week. Before Tuesday's moratorium, they had administered 222 and 49 shots, respectively.
According to the CDC, administration of the vaccine was halted over "an abundance of caution." A meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was set to take place yesterday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. The Food and Drug Administration will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases.
Until that process is complete, rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will remain at a standstill. The CDC said these steps will ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot.
According to a CDC news release, treatment of the specific type of blood clot identified in the six cases is different from the treatment that might typically be administered. Usually, an anticoagulant drug called heparin is used to treat blood clots. In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given.
Rollout of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine will move forward unfettered.
