J&J Coronavirus Vaccine Pause Won’t Impact Newark Site, FEMA Says

NEWARK, NJ — Federal authorities are recommending that agencies across the U.S. hit the brakes on the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. But for the time being, it won’t affect appointments at a recently opened mass vaccination site in Newark, authorities say.

On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggested a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Both agencies are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot after receiving the vaccine.

The FDA reported that, as of Monday, more than 6.8 million doses of New Brunswick-based company's vaccine have been administered in the U.S.

Roughly 235,000 doses have been administered in New Jersey, with none of those patients reporting any similar effects, Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday.

“We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” the FDA announced, adding that the adverse events under investigation appear to be “extremely rare.”

People who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine who develop a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider, federal authorities said.

• See related article: Pause Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccine In NJ, Elsewhere, Feds Say

On Tuesday, FEMA spokespeople told Patch that the agency will immediately pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson version at all of its mobile vaccine units and community vaccination centers. That includes a site at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark which opened in late March.

Authorities previously said the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be administered for the first six weeks the Newark site is open, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be given for the remaining two weeks.

“Currently, the Newark center at NJIT is using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the next four weeks and the pause will not impact operations at the site,” a FEMA spokesperson said.

The site offers vaccinations to residents of several zip codes in Newark, East Orange, Irvington, Orange, as well as some residents in Bayonne, Harrison, North Bergen, West New York, Guttenberg, Jersey City, Passaic, Paterson, Prospect Park, Haledon, Plainfield and Elizabeth.

• See related article: Huge FEMA Vaccine Site In Newark Also Serves Other NJ Towns

“We are working with our state partners to determine the path forward and find alternative vaccine options for the sites we support,” a spokesperson said. “FEMA is committed to helping achieve the president’s goal of making sure a vaccine is available to all who want one.”

This article contains reporting by Tom Davis, Patch staff

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