South Bay Health Officer: J&J COVID-19 Vaccine Is Safe

BAY AREA, CA — The Santa Clara County health officer joined others across the Bay Area this weekend in announcing that the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is safe.

Use of the one-dose J&J vaccine was temporarily paused as officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration investigated cases of a rare blood clotting disorder that appeared to be linked to the vaccine.

There have been 15 cases reported — all in women — among 8 million doses of the J&J vaccine administered, Bay Area officials said Sunday in a statement. The risk of dying from COVID-19 is one in 56.

Health officers in all Bay Area counties except Sonoma signed off on the statement endorsing the J&J vaccine. Health officers in Santa Cruz County and the city of Berkeley also joined in the announcement.

The announcement from Bay Area officials came after the CDC and FDA said Friday that they accepted an advisory committee's recommendation to resume administration of the J&J vaccine. The Western States Scientific Safety Review team agreed.

Health officers urged people to get vaccines as quickly as possible and recommended that Bay Area health care providers resume inoculations with the J&J vaccine.

"All vaccines are proven to be highly effective at preventing hospitalization or death from COVID-19, and people who are fully vaccinated are also much less likely to be contagious or transmit the virus to someone else," they said. "The longer you wait to get vaccinated, the greater the risk of contracting COVID-19, and infecting a friend, loved one, or coworker."

Anyone who has received the J&J vaccine should speak to his or her doctor with concerns or severe symptoms within three weeks of receiving the vaccine, officials said.

Bay Area health officers also supported recommendations that a warning label be added to the J&J vaccine and that culturally and linguistically appropriate informational materials on the vaccine be made available to patients.