CA OK's Use Of J&J Vaccine After Reviewing 'Rare Adverse Events'

CALIFORNIA — California's 58 counties will resume use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week, state health officials announced. The state lifted its 11-day pause of the vaccine after both state and federal health officials deemed the single-shot vaccine safe.

The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup completed its evaluation of the shot on Saturday, just one day after the federal government gave the green light confirming its safety.

Nearly 1 million Californians have already been inoculated with the single shot vaccine, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Saturday.

The Golden State halted use of J&J following reports from the federal government that at least six people had developed cases of severe blood clots after being inoculated almost two weeks ago. One woman also reportedly died after suffering from clotting. To date, the federal government has confirmed 15 blood clotting cases related to the vaccine.

"After a thorough review of very rare adverse events following the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup supports the recommendation of the FDA and CDC to lift the pause on the vaccine," said Dr. Erica Pan, state epidemiologist.

Newsom, who received a dose of J&J himself, also vouched for the vaccine's safety in on Saturday.

"After additional review, analysis and scrutiny, experts have concluded the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is safe, effective and will protect you against the COVID-19 virus," he said. "To date, about a million Californians have already received this vaccine – including myself and many of the state’s top doctors."

There was "no information" as to whether any Californians experienced blood clotting following the administration of the single-dose vaccine, a spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health told Patch last week on condition of anonymity.

Federal officials pointed out that blood-clotting cases are rare among millions of inoculations.

"In the end, this vaccine was shown to be safe and effective for the vast majority of people," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director said during a news briefing Friday night. "We’re pleased to have resolution today."

Dr. Timothy Brewer, a UCLA infectious disease expert, said that American's should take the government's swift move to halt the vaccine as a comforting sign.

"People should take that as a sign that, yes, the federal agencies in charge of overseeing these vaccines are very concerned about safety," he said.

Above all, everyone should get a vaccine, Brewer said. "The vaccines remain very effective in addition to being safe...so if you are eligible to be vaccinated — and that's everybody over the age of 16 — please do go ahead."

The state continued to stockpile J&J doses from the federal government during the pause, the spokesperson added.

"The one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine is also an important tool in our fight to stop the spread of COVID-19, especially as more aggressive variants of the virus spread throughout the country," Pan said.

This week, given the boost in supply, the state is likely to have a surplus on its hands.

A vaccination supersite at the Los Angeles County Office of Education was alerting appointment holders on Sunday to bring a friend who may need a vaccine.

"We are expecting to have additional vaccines so bring your friends and family with you to get their vaccine too," the text message alert read.

The increase in supply coupled with the growing capacity to administer shots marks a sharp turnaround from the vaccine rollout Californians knew just weeks ago.

As of Sunday, more than half of those aged 16 and older had received a shot of one of the three vaccines, Pan said. The state had administered more than 28 million vaccine shots as of Sunday, state officials said.

Last week, five more counties in California moved out of restrictive tiers on the state's reopening plan. Now, more than 87 percent of the population can enjoy the freedoms of the orange tier, only one notch above the most lenient, yellow tier on the state's reopening plan. During the same week last month, more than 83 percent of the population was living under the red tier.

What's more, California's positivity rate, 1.5 percent, became the lowest in the United States last week. Given these promising metrics, Newsom targeted June 15 to reopen the state completely — save for a mask mandate.

READ MORE: Could California Reopen Earlier Than June 15?

California COVID-19 Data as of Sunday

• 3,629,624 cases of coronavirus have been reported in California to date.

• 1,739 newly recorded confirmed cases Saturday.

• 1.3% is the 7-day positivity rate.

• 59,095,717 tests have been conducted in California.

• 60,188 COVID-19 deaths have been recorded since the start of the pandemic.

• 28,200,566 vaccine doses have been administered statewide.