After CDC clears Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine, Wake to resume use at clinics
Wake County will resume its use of Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose COVID-19 vaccine this week, shortly after federal and state agencies recommended that providers start administering the vaccine again.
The county health department has 7,902 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the department said in a news release. A Johnson & Johnson clinic has been scheduled for Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Ting Park in Holly Springs, according to a press release.
To make appointments, people can visit WakeGov.com/vaccine.
“As with everything we have done in the past, we want to offer the choice of J&J for those who are seeking that unique one-shot vaccine. Safety during and after vaccination are very important to us,” said Ryan Jury, Wake County Public Health’s vaccine branch director, in a statement.
On April 13, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that providers pause use of the vaccine after monitoring efforts discovered six cases of a rare type of blood clot out of nearly 7 million doses that had been administered. The six women with the condition also had low blood platelet counts.
During a 10-day investigative period, federal officials found nine more cases, bringing the total to 15 cases out of more than 8 million people who received the shots. All of the cases were among women between 18 and 59 years old.
The federal agencies on Friday lifted the pause and recommended that use of the vaccine would resume. That evening, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services recommended that providers in the state begin to use the vaccine again.
Statewide, a DHHS release said, about 132,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are available.
In Wake County, the press release said, clinical staff will provide additional education to women and others who could face higher risk for the rare condition.
The Ting Park site is one of three parks where Wake County Public Health plans to administer COVID-19 vaccines over the next few months. Others will include Wendell Community Park and Green Road Park in Raleigh.
County officials are planning additional events where the one-dose vaccine will be available.