Raleigh, NC Several suppliers of COVID-19 vaccines have stopped administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after some side effects were reported Thursday.
Wake County spokeswoman Stacy Beard said 18 people had an adverse reaction to the vaccine at the PNC Arena clinic. More than 2,300 Johnson & Johnson vaccines were administered at the clinic on Thursday, meaning 0.78% of vaccine recipients received a response.
Fourteen responders were evaluated by Wake County EMS at PNC Arena and treated on site. Four people have been taken to a local hospital for evaluation and are expected to be released.
Symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, fainting, and one allergic reaction were reported by those who reported reactions.
“All individuals are monitored. If they have any concerns, we’ll watch them for 30 minutes. So most of the clues were spotted early on,” said Ryan Jury, who oversees Wake County’s vaccination efforts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended vaccinations on Thursday night to continue at PNC Arena after health experts found no safety concerns or concerns.
In a statement, the CDC said it was aware of vaccine recipients who reported dizziness, light-headedness, feeling faint, rapid breathing, and sweating after receiving the vaccine in Iowa, Colorado, Georgia, and North Carolina.
Ahead of the CDC’s announcement, the county health official paused Johnson & Johnson’s vaccinations on Friday. The mass vaccination clinic will only offer the two-dose Pfizer vaccine on Friday.
“There are other products we’ve been using for months, but when you look at how long we’ve been using the Johnson & Johnson product, it’s not necessarily that long. So we’re not sure what’s normal, what’s not normal. At the moment really still in its infancy, and [we’re] just trying to evaluate what the causes of this were, there is some reason to be concerned, ”the jury said.
Locations, phone numbers to get your COVID recording in central NC
“There is no greater priority than the safety and wellbeing of the people we serve. When we receive reports of adverse events in individuals receiving our drugs and vaccines, we collect the necessary information and carefully review events. who receive our COVID -19 vaccine and our review of those reports are shared with the US Food and Drug Administration and other competent health authorities. as well as the vaccines approved for use against this pandemic, ”a Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman said in a statement on the vaccine’s side effect at PNC Arena.
The Johnson & Johnson doses in Wake County are retained and retained until additional information is collected.
Alan Wolf, UNC Health spokesman, said the medical system stopped administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at all UNC Health vaccination clinics after a small number of recipients felt faint at the Friday Center on Thursday.
In a statement, UNC Health said more than 2,200 Johnson & Johnson vaccines had been administered at the Friday Center and Hillsborough Hospital clinic. The specific number of people who responded to the vaccine was not given.
Wolf said UNC Health is re-evaluating for Friday, and the hiatus is until officials can get a better handle on what’s going on.
Dr. David Wohl, an infectious disease specialist at UNC Health, said health experts will study safety reports in the coming days, review each response, and look for ways to calm those who are nervous around the shot.
“I don’t think this is an allergic reaction. Most of the people I’ve seen here today who have felt faint have felt faint in the past, especially around needles. So it’s really difficult,” explains Wohl out. “We also vaccinate other people than before. Often people take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because they are harmful to needles and because they don’t want to take an injection. We’re just trying to make sure it’s the vaccine or the people using the vaccine or a combination of both. “
Vaccinations against the coronavirus in NC
The Duke University Health System said it would continue to administer Johnson & Johnson vaccines as no side effects have been reported in its clinics.
Duke Health received the Janssen (J&J) vaccine from the same lot number identified at the Wake County Vaccine Clinic, but the shipment was sent directly to Duke without intermediaries. No patient at Duke has experienced serious incidents. Minor side effects from the vaccine are consistent with those reported by the manufacturer prior to authorization and remain within the expected range, ”Thomas Owens, Duke University Hospital president and senior vice president of Duke Health, said in a statement.
Of the 2.2 million people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in North Carolina, only 8% received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That means about 167,000 people received the vaccine, or about 1.5% of the state’s population.
The number of people who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is likely to rise as the number of doses entering the state has risen dramatically. This week, the state received nearly 150,000 doses, compared to less than 60,000 last week. That number was more than the number of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines that entered the state this week.
