RWJBarnabas Pauses J&J, But Mostly Used Moderna, Pfizer Vaccines

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — RWJBarnabas Health said it has immediately halted all use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but also said J&J only made up about one percent of the shots it was giving out.

"Ninety-nine percent of vaccine we have administered has been Moderna and Pfizer," said Carrie Cristello, a spokeswoman for RWJBarnbas. "Vaccination will continue at our sites using only the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines."

Locally, RWJBarnabas has been giving out vaccines at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital main campus in New Brunswick, RWJ University Hospital in Somerset and other hospitals in their network.

Janssen, a subsidiary of J&J, actually helped develop their coronavirus vaccine right here in New Brunswick and recruited up to 2,000 Rutgers students to participate in its clinical trials.

On Tuesday morning, the CDC and FDA recommended a nationwide pause in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six women in America, between the ages of 18 and 48, developed rare and serious blood clot issues within two weeks of getting the J&J shot, according to the New York Times. One woman died; a second woman remains hospitalized in critical condition.

So far, 6.8 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been given out in the U.S., and 235,000 shots in New Jersey, with none of those patients reporting serious adverse effects, according to Gov. Phil Murphy.

Johnson & Johnson, headquartered in New Brunswick, said it is working with the FDA and CDC. It also said it is suspending shipments of its vaccine to Europe until this is resolved.

"The safety and well-being of the people who use our products is our number one priority," said J&J. "We are aware of an extremely rare disorder involving people with blood clots in combination with low platelets in a small number of individuals who have received our COVID-19 vaccine."

Anyone who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and experiences abdominal pain, leg pain, shortness of breath, severe headache or other unusual symptoms within three weeks after vaccination should call their doctor immediately.

Related: Behind the Scenes at a COVID-19 Vaccine Trial

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