New Haven Halts J&J Vaccine Clinic, Will Use Moderna, Pfizer Shot

NEW HAVEN, CT — After seeing more than 1,400 vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Johnson & Johnson shot last week at the FEMA mobile clinic site on the New Haven Town Green, the city has paused the use of the vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FDA announced Tuesday that, after nearly 7 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered nationwide, six cases of a rare and potentially severe type of blood clot have been reported.

The Johnson & Johnson pop-up clinic in New Haven, today with Griffin Health, was rescheduled to tomorrow, Wednesday, April 14. The New Haven Health Department will continue to use the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines at all clinics, Director of Public Health, Maritza Bond said.

“In an abundance of caution, we are pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine indefinitely,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said. “Until we have further clearance from the CDC and authorization from the state regarding the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the city will be using the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines at all COVID-19 clinics in New Haven.”

As per a release from the CDC they added, “All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare.”