Rock Hill area pharmacies will halt use of Johnson & Johnson vaccines. What we know.
Several York County area pharmacies will stop administering the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine after federal agencies raised concern over the shot because a handful people who received a dose developed blood clots.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended Tuesday morning that there be a temporary halt in distribution of the single-dose vaccine. Six people, out of the nearly 7 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients, developed a “rare and severe type of blood clot,” according to a joint statement from the agencies.
The blood clots occurred among women ages 18-48. The women developed symptoms six to 13 days after they each received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, also known as the Janssen vaccine, according to the federal agencies.
“These adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” the agencies said. “COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously.”
As a result, the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control suspended administration of the single-dose vaccine Tuesday, and urged all statewide providers to cease use of the vaccine and cancel any standing appointments.
In this region
As of Tuesday morning, seven York, Lancaster and Chester area providers, including five Harris Teeter pharmacies, were listed on the state’s vaccine locator tool as sites offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. However, dozens more already have administered hundreds of J&J doses in the area, according to the state’s vaccine allocation data.
A good number of those providers have announced a freeze in use of the vaccine.
Rock Hill’s South End Pharmacy, which so far has administered 685 doses of the vaccine, has paused administration of the shot “out of abundance of caution,” according to its Facebook page.
The pharmacy suggested patients who’ve already received a J&J shot monitor for severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain and shortness of breath.
“The risk of blood clot is incredibly small but important to identify early,” the post said.
Riverview Family Medicine and Urgent Care in Rock Hill has stopped administering the vaccine. Patients who had an appointment with the clinic, which so far has given 99 doses of J&J, will get an update in the coming days through the Vaccine Administration Management System, or VAMS.
York County’s Lake Wylie Pharmacy also has temporarily halted its use of the vaccine, according to its Facebook page. As of Tuesday, the pharmacy had administered 486 doses of the single-dose shot.
Great Falls Pharmacy in Chester County, which has given out nearly 1,200 doses of Johnson & Johnson, said on its Facebook it has stopped giving the shot.
“This is in abundance of caution as they sort through six rare cases of reactions to the vaccine,” the post said. “Hopefully, we will know more soon.”
Less than 7% of total doses
South Carolina’s health director Dr. Edward Simmer said at a federal COVID-19 vaccine site Tuesday that he does not anticipate the pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine having a severe impact on availability. He said about 95% of the state’s providers are using Pfizer’s or Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine.
“We recognize that this will impact our current supply of vaccines across the state and are awaiting to hear more information from the federal government,” the state agency said in a statement. “South Carolina, like most states, had been receiving a small amount of Janssen vaccine from the federal government.”
This week, South Carolina received 8,700 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which accounts for less than 7% of the 129,000 total doses the state received this week from the federal government.
“The federal government, working with the state governments and others, has acted very quickly to take it out of circulation until we can make absolutely sure it’s safe,” Simmer said. “This shows just how attentive we are to the safety of these vaccines and that we are willing to take action if there’s any question.”
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 1:51 PM.
