CDPHE, Moffat County to pause use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine over blood clot reports
Though more than 120,000 people in Colorado have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccination, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is halting distribution of the vaccine following reports of blood clots in patients who recently received the vaccine.
In turn, Moffat County Public Health and Walgreens are pausing their use of the vaccination for the time being “out of an abundance of caution,” Moffat County Public Health Director Kari Ladrow stated Tuesday morning.
“We are pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccination out of an abundance of caution until it is approved by the FDA and CDPHE to resume use,” Ladrow said.
Federal regulators recommended a “pause” in administration of the J&J vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots, Tuesday morning.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said in a joint statement Tuesday that they were investigating clots in six women that occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. The clots were observed in the sinuses of the brain along with reduced platelet counts, making the usual treatment for blood clots, the blood thinner heparin, potentially “dangerous.”
Previously, Moffat County Public Health held a Johnson & Johnson one-dose click on Monday, April 5, vaccinating nearly 600 people at the Craig Rural Fire Protection District at 1050 Industrial Drive.
To date, none of the nearly 600 vaccinated with the J&J dose in Moffat County has reported severe side effects from the vaccination.
The CDC and FDA recommends that people who were given the J&J vaccine should contact their doctor if they experience severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks.
Aside from the Johnson & Johnson dose, Moffat County continues to administer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination and is nearing 4,000 total vaccinations within the county, according to Moffat County’s COVID-19 dashboard.
The nearly 4,000 vaccinated in Moffat County represents 22% of the community.
Managing Editor Joshua Carney can be reached at 970-875-1790 or jcarney@craigdailypress.com.
jcarney@craigdailypress.com
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