Stratford Suspends Use Of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

STRATFORD, CT — The Stratford Health Department is suspending its use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, officials announced Tuesday.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday because of blood-clot concerns.

"We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution," the FDA announced on Twitter.

The FDA reported that, as of Monday, more than 6.8 million doses of the company's vaccine have been administered in the U.S. The CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the vaccine.

“COVID-19 vaccine safety and the health of our residents are our top priorities,” Stratford Director of Health Andrea Boissevain said. “We will be adhering to the CDC and FDA’s guidance and pausing our use of J&J vaccine in our clinics until it is deemed safe.”

The Stratford Health Department will be offering the Moderna vaccine for both their homebound program and for their COVID-19 pop-up vaccine clinic scheduled for Tuesday, April 13.

“We will await the results of the investigation before proceeding with future use of the J&J vaccine at additional clinics,” officials wrote in a news release.

For more information, call the Stratford Health Department at 203-385-4090.

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