Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted the temporary recommended pause of use on the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has also advised vaccine providers that they can resume use of the J&J vaccine in Pennsylvania.
We recognize that there may be some concern and hesitancy specifically towards the J&J vaccine now that it is available again, and we’d like to share a bit of information to help you weigh your options regarding the vaccines available.
By recommending that the country resume using the J&J vaccine, the CDC and FDA are affirming the J&J vaccine’s overall safety. The agencies’ joint statement on the return is available
here, but we would like to highlight a few points:
-
Clinical trials for the J&J COVID-19 found 100 percent efficacy against hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. This vaccine is still extremely effective in saving lives should a person contract COVID-19.
- As of April 23, 15 total instances of blood clots were confirmed by the CDC, primarily in women ages 18-49 and within 14 days of vaccination out of more than 8,000,000 J&J vaccines administered. This is 1 in more than 533,333 vaccines, and federal officials are continuing to closely monitor vaccine administration for potential instances of adverse effects.
- The pause allowed federal public health officials to develop formal guidance to vaccine providers, medical professionals, and the public to better monitor for potential signs of clotting and to treat this type of blood clot should it occur.
- This is the only one-dose COVID-19 vaccine currently authorized for use.
More information about the J&J vaccine, its safety, and the decision to lift the pause is available from the FDA
here and CDC
here.
The decision to temporarily pause J&J vaccine administration demonstrates the rigorous commitment to safety to which the CDC and FDA adhere. The vaccine would not be recommended for continued use if the potential risks outweighed the overall benefit and efficacy of the vaccine, and vaccine and health care providers are now better equipped with information about the potential risks to provide more information and better monitor recipients moving forward.
While we understand the concern that can be raised by the potential risks, we strongly encourage each of you to read the CDC and FDA’s recommendations and findings and consider these as you plan for a COVID-19 vaccination. Each of the three vaccines currently available will keep you safe from COVID-19 and are crucial assets in our fight against this pandemic, and if you are not yet vaccinated, we hope that you will make this choice for yourself and help protect yourself, your family, and your community.
Best,
Meg Snead
Acting Secretary of Human Services
Doug Jacobs, MD, MPH
Chief Innovation Officer, Department of Human Services
Dale Adair, MD, FAPA
Chief Psychiatric Officer, Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Lawrence Appel, MD, SFHM
Medical Director, Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living
Gregory Cherpes, MD, NADD-CC
Medical Director, Department of Human Services, Office of Developmental Programs
David Kelley, MD
Chief Medical Director, Department of Human Services Office of Medical Assistance Programs and Office of Long-Term Living
