​McHenry Vaccine Sites Halt Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Doses

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — McHenry County's vaccination sites will stop giving out doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against the coronavirus after six cases of complications were reported.

Citing state and federal health departments, the county said its vaccination sites — not including the Willow Creek Community Church site in Crystal Lake — will continue to distribute doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

A vaccination clinic at the Willow Creek site, located at 100 S. Main St., was also cancelled on Tuesday.

MCDH Public Health Nursing Director Susan Karras told Patch via email that the county canceled some 400 vaccine appointments on Tuesday as a result of the J&J vaccine pause. Another 700 future appointments will be changed from Johnson & Johnson to Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.

Officials halted distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after the FDA identified six cases of a rare but severe side effect of the vaccine: a potentially deadly blood clot in women between ages 18 and 48.

The FDA said a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia) in a handful of individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and we appreciate everyone’s patience and cooperation,” County Public Health Administrator Melissa Adamson said in a statement. “We know that there are many residents who wanted this vaccine in particular, and we will resume administering the J&J vaccine when and if it’s safe to do so.”

Related: J&J Vaccines Halted In Illinois: Department Of Public Health

In the release, county health officials urged residents who have developed a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks of receiving a Johnson & Johnson vaccine to contact their doctor.

Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock told reporters during a video news conference that blood clots were "extremely rare" and she expects the pause to last only "a matter of days."

The FDA reported that, as of Monday, more than 6.8 million doses of New Jersey-based company's vaccine had been administered in the United States. 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.

According to the Illinois Department of public health, Moderna and Pfizer make up the vast majority of doses administered in Illinois. Next week, the state was expected to receive 5,800 doses of the J&J vaccine out of 483,720 expected total doses.

Patch editor Eileen O'Gorman contributed to this report