SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine was reauthorized for use again in the U.S. on April 23, after an 11-day pause following rare blood clots in a handful of patients.
Health officials at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ultimately decided the benefits of the only authorized single-dose shot outweighed its risks.
The government uncovered 15 vaccine recipients who developed a highly unusual kind of blood clot, out of nearly 8 million people given the J&J shot, according to reporting by the Associated Press.
Now that the J&J shot is once again an option, ABC10 called some of Northern California's local county health offices, as well as some of California's largest healthcare providers, to see when they will start re-administering it. Here is what they had to say.
This article will be updated as more responses are given.
Sacramento County Public Health
"Sacramento County Public Health is waiting for the expected additional CDC/CDPH guidance before reinstating the administration of the J&J vaccine. Sac County Public Health has 4,500 J&J doses holding in storage.
Any concerns should be satisfied by the CDC/FDA review of the issue and have lifted the pause – additionally, the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup recommends resuming use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine."
Stanislaus County Public Health
"We have not made any plans for any J&J vaccine clinics and do not have any dates in the future set. We are awaiting the state and our health officers' guidance."
San Joaquin County Public Health
“We do have it in supply but are not currently re-administering it and no clinics have been scheduled at this time.”
Placer County Public Health
“We will begin re-administering [the J&J vaccine] soon. There are currently no clinics planned for the early part of the week. J&J represents a relatively small portion of the vaccines Placer County Health has received. There will probably be more [J&J vaccines] with other local pharmacies, at Walmart, etc.”
Yolo County Public Health
"Clinics in California may begin administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as long as they provide appropriate educational materials to inform patients of the vaccine’s low risk of associated health effects and other available vaccine options. Yolo County is waiting to receive a one-page graphic and explanation of the low risk of the J&J vaccine from the California Department of Public Health, which is hopefully coming out today. Once we get it, the County will begin to administer and distribute the Johnson and Johnson doses we’ve paused. We didn’t receive many J&J doses to start with, so the pause did not impact or greatly affect the County’s vaccine schedule or administration."
Kaiser Permanente
"Kaiser Permanente’s infectious disease physicians and other experts are reviewing the information released by the FDA and the CDC related to the lifting of the pause of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine administration. Before we resume use of the vaccine, we will be reviewing all available data, including forthcoming interim clinical considerations from the CDC. This process will ensure that physicians and patients have the necessary information for the safe and effective use of the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine."
UC Davis Health
“I can’t speak for the other hospitals in the UC system (or elsewhere), but we have a very small number of J&J doses and have not yet resumed administering them. We have a much more plentiful supply of Moderna and Pfizer and are currently using those in our vaccine clinics.”
Dignity Health
"Dignity Health will resume the use of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine starting as early as this week. At this time, the vaccine makes up about 15% of our total local vaccine inventory. Safety is a top priority for Dignity Health and we take it extremely seriously.
The CDC/FDA's thorough review of the data indicates that the benefits of preventing COVID-19 infection far exceed the very low potential risks. That being said, women younger than 50 years old should be aware of the rare but increased risk of blood clots with low platelets after vaccination, and that other COVID-19 vaccines (mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna) exist where this risk has not been seen. Patients should consult with their primary care physician if they have any questions or concerns."
Adventist Health
“Adventist has not started re-administering J&J”
Read more from ABC10
The county says COVID-19 vaccine supply is there, but demand is not as vaccine hesitancy becomes more apparent in the population.
