Sunshine Clinic pauses J&J COVID-19 vaccine use following federal recommendation

Following a joint recommendation from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration, Sunshine Community Health Center says it is pausing use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

The joint statement from the CDC and FDA says six cases of a rare blood clotting disorder have developed in patients after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.  All cases identified thus far are in women aged eighteen to forty-eight.

The statement calls the development of the clotting disorder “extremely rare.”

Nationwide, nearly seven million people have received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.  In the six cases where the clotting disorder has been identified, it developed one-to-two weeks after receiving the injection.

The CDC and FDA recommend anyone who has received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to contact their healthcare provider if they experience severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks of vaccination.

Sunshine Community Health Center is following the recommended pause, and plans to contact patients who were to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to discuss scheduling and other options. Sunshine has not announced any changes to its offering of the Moderna vaccine.