In line with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Colorado Joint Vaccine Task Force, GCPH will be pausing use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for at least two days, beginning today. Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine will be used today, Wednesday, Thursday, and at this weekend’s vaccine clinics at Middle Park High School.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 13 – Today Grand County Public Health (GCPH) announced it will be pausing use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for at least two days.
The decision is in line with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Colorado Joint Vaccine Task Force alert to providers to temporarily pause use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine.
In an update to the Board of County Commissioners, Dr. Darcy Selenke of Denver Health’s Winter Park Medical Center told Commissioners the FDA and CDC will be taking the two days to review the incoming data related to vaccine’s use to understand how much of the reported side effects were due to underlying medical conditions, versus a result of the vaccine itself.
GCPH will be giving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for its clinics scheduled today, Wednesday and Thursday.
“We are working with the State Vaccine team to replace our Johnson & Johnson vaccines with Moderna or Pfizer vaccine to ensure that we can provide as many vaccines as possible during our mass vaccine clinics April 17th and 18th,” said Abbie Baker, Director of Grand County Public Health.
“We have plans in place to offer a second mass clinic to provide second doses as close to the recommended intervals between the first and second doses of vaccine as possible. We will provide those dates as soon as we have them confirmed,” Baker continued.
Residents who have scheduled an appointment for the weekend clinic, and would prefer to wait for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, can email GCPH at liaison@co.grand.co.us, or call 970-725-3803 to cancel their appointment. Residents who scheduled their appointment using the website and still have their confirmation email, can use a link in that email to cancel their appointment.
COVID-19 vaccine safety and the health and safety of all Coloradans is a top priority. Residents who have already received Johnson & Johnson vaccine should have very little concern, as the adverse events related to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine appear to be extremely rare. Per CDPHE:
- Individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine more than a month ago are at very low risk of serious side effects.
- Anyone who received the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine within the last three weeks and who develops severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath should contact their health care provider. These symptoms are different from the flu-like symptoms people may experience after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Healthcare providers should report any adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
For additional details about the pause, see the below press release issued by the CDPHE.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: CDPHE
COVID-19 MEDIA LINE: 303-900-2849 (Please leave a message)
Email: media_info@state.co.us
Colorado pauses use of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after joint FDA and CDC announcement
REMOTE, (April 13, 2021): In response to the joint CDC and FDA announcement and out of an abundance of caution, today the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Colorado Joint Vaccine Task Force are alerting providers to temporarily pause use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine.
Federal health officials recommended temporarily suspending use of the vaccine after reviewing reports of six individuals in the U.S. who got rare and severe blood clots after receiving the vaccine. The federal government is allowing states to determine whether to pause use, and CDPHE is requiring providers to stop administration of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine until additional information becomes available. One of the reasons the FDA and CDC are recommending this pause is to ensure health care providers are aware of these potential but rare adverse events and can respond accordingly. The treatment for these types of blood clots is not the common treatment and thus time is needed to make sure healthcare providers know how to recognize and treat these rare occurrences.
COVID-19 vaccine safety and the health and safety of all Coloradans is a top priority. These adverse events appear to be extremely rare. Individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine more than a month ago are at very low risk of serious side effects. Anyone who received the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine within the last three weeks and who develops severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath should contact their health care provider. These symptoms are different from the flu-like symptoms people may experience after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Healthcare providers should report any adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
“In these cases, a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia). All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. Treatment of this specific type of blood clot 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,” the FDA and CDC stated in a joint statement.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday, April 14, to further review the cases and assess their potential significance, and the Food and Drug Administration will continue to investigate. The state will share additional information on how this affects Coloradans as soon as it becomes available.
The Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine makes up only a small portion of Colorado’s weekly vaccine allocation. This week, for example, the state’s Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) allocation is 9,700, compared to nearly 280,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna the state expects to receive this week. Most vaccine clinics will not be significantly affected.
Anyone scheduled to receive the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine will either receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine instead, or the vaccine provider will contact them to reschedule their appointment once FDA and CDC release additional information.
The state’s mobile vaccination buses, which have been administering only the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine, are canceled today and Wednesday. More information will be provided when it becomes available.
Providers who already have a Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine supply should keep it and continue to maintain proper storage.
Continue to stay up to date by visiting covid19.colorado.gov.
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