Sonoma County Resumes Use Of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Sonoma County lifted its pause Monday on using the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine and immediately resumed administering the vaccine alongside the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Solano, and the City of Berkeley in the Bay Area.

The county paused use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine April 13 until federal authorities reviewed reports that it caused blood clots. On Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced they accepted the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' recommendations to lift the pause on the vaccine for all adults.

Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase concurred with the findings of the ACIP and Western States Scientific Safety Review that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is safe and that health providers should resume its administration, county officials said Monday afternoon in a news release.

Mase agrees that the risk of developing a rare clotting disorder is extremely low.

"According to the CDC, to date there have been only 15 confirmed cases of the rare clotting event among nearly 8 million total doses administered in the U.S., all in females, which translates to a risk less than 2 cases per million doses overall, and 7 cases per million doses among women between 18 and 49 years of age. For those who have a confirmed case of COVID-19, the risk of dying from it in the United States is 1 in 56," the county said.

Mase supports the addition of a warning label and that culturally and linguistically appropriate informational materials in an accessible reading level be made available so members of the public can make an informed decision.

Those who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should contact their primary health care provider if they have concerns or if they develop severe systems of headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath in the three weeks following vaccination.

The public is strongly urged to get vaccinated against coronavirus as soon as possible, county officials said.

"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," the county said. "The longer you wait to get vaccinated, the greater the risk of contracting COVID-19, and infecting a friend, loved one, or coworker."

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Bay Area Resident Is First Man Treated For VITT After Receiving Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

The University of California, San Francisco medical center announced Monday that a Bay Area man developed an exceedingly rare case of blood clots less than two weeks after receiving the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

The man was admitted to the UCSF medical center 13 days after receiving the vaccine, which was developed by Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical subsidiary Janssen.

He was diagnosed with vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia, also called VITT or TTS, after complaining of pain in his lower back and leg.

According to UCSF, he received the recommended therapeutic treatment for VITT, which includes intravenous antibodies and an anticoagulant. The man is expected to make a full recovery, according to the university.

"UCSF continues to follow guidance from the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) regarding the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccinations," the university said in a statement. "We strongly recommend that everyone age 16 and over receive the vaccine to prevent severe or long-term side effects of the virus."

The man, admitted to the UCSF medical center Wednesday, is in his early 30s and is believed to be the first man with a confirmed case of VITT after receiving the J&J vaccine.

—Bay City News Service contributed to this report.