Despite concerns about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, no adverse effects reported for USU or Cache County
After it was revealed that the single-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine could cause blood clots on Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration recommended a pause on all Johnson and Johnson vaccines until further notice.
Johnson and Johnson also released a statement saying the safety of the people who use their products is their number one priority.
“We have been working closely with medical experts and health authorities, and we strongly support the open communication of this information to healthcare professionals and the public,” the statement said.
On April 9, Utah State University administered over 1,000 Johnson and Johnson vaccines to students, faculty and staff in the USU community.
According to USU public information officer Emilie Wheeler, there have been no calls or other communications from anyone worried about their Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
“If anyone contacts us, we’ll recommend they review the potential side effects for blood clots and always call a medical provider if anything unusual occurs,” she said.
The rate of incidence for blood clots from the vaccine is unlikely. According to the statement from Johnson and Johnson, only six cases have been reported so far.
“That being said, we obviously won’t be using J&J for clinics until and if the CDC and FDA clears it for use again,” Wheeler added.
Joshua Greer, public information officer for the Bear River Health Department, also told the Statesman that no one has called BRHD to complain about adverse effects due to the vaccine.
“We’ve just had a handful of calls asking what was going on with the J&J pause. No calls from people with serious concerns,” he said. “We haven’t issued a statement on the vaccine. We are following the guidance of the CDC, FDA, and the UDOH. They are the experts on the vaccine and we will wait for their updates.”
During his monthly news conference with the press on Thursday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox addressed the concerns surrounding Johnson and Johnson, and reminded people how rare it is to develop clotting from the vaccine.
“When you realize you are far more likely to get eaten by a shark or struck by lightning than you are to develop this very rare blood clot issue, than people will realize that getting the vaccine is good,” Cox said.
USU, in collaboration with the BRHD, set up another vaccine clinic on Friday in the Eccles Conference Center using the Pfizer vaccine. 500 doses were administered and all appointments were booked.