Nearly 20K Doses Of J&J Vaccine Administered In RivCo

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County has temporarily placed a pause on the administration of Johnson & Johnson vaccines at its clinics, following a recommendation Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the Food and Drug Administration.

California also halted use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine Tuesday following the concerns over a handful of serious blood clotting reports, state officials confirmed. The guidance comes after six U.S. women between the ages of 18 and 48 developed serious blood clots called "cerebral venous sinus thrombosis" six to 13 days after being inoculated. One woman died, and a second woman in Nebraska was hospitalized in critical condition.

Riverside County health officials said there have been no reports of the rare, severe illness like those described in the CDC guidance among the 19,424 doses of Johnson and Johnson that have been administered in the county. There are no warnings of similar issues with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine that is also available for use, according to county officials.

“We are taking this step because the health and safety of our residents is our No. 1 priority,” said Dr. Geoffrey Leung, public health officer for Riverside County. “Although we have not seen any reactions like those described by the CDC, it is critical the public have the confidence of the safety of vaccines that we offer.”

The county operates public health clinics at four permanent locations and runs eight mobile teams that temporarily offer vaccines at various locations. The clinic at Alessandro High School in Hemet was set to open today Tuesday with Johnson & Johnson, but officials will be offering Pfizer to the 285 people who had appointments and giving them the option to switch.

Three mobile team clinics offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Hemet, Mead Valley and Lakeland Village scheduled for Tuesday were canceled. About 400 people total were scheduled at the mobile clinics. For those who made appointments online, an email message was sent to them by the Riverside County Department of Public Health. The message read, in part, "Please note, that your appointment ... has been canceled today due to the FDA’s pause on the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. You may schedule another vaccine appointment at any of our sites with the Moderna vaccine or the Pfizer vaccine ... ."

The CDC will convene a meeting of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance.

"The safety and well-being of the people who use our products is our number one priority," Johnson & Johnson said in a statement.

"We have been working closely with medical experts and health authorities, and we strongly support the open communication of this information to healthcare professionals and the public," the company said. "The CDC and FDA have made information available about proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot. The health authorities advise that people who have received our COVID-19 vaccine and develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider."