Holy Name Pauses Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Administration

TEANECK, NJ — Holy Name Health will pause the administration of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines effective immediately, but won't have to cancel any appointments because of it.

"In line with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the FDA and the New Jersey Department of Health, Holy Name Medical Center has halted administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine out of an abundance of caution. This pause will remain in effect until the CDC completes its investigation and provides additional guidance," said CEO Michael Maron, in a statement.

Those with appointments at the Holy Name clinics in Teaneck and West New York won't have to reschedule due to the pause. Instead, officials said they would honor all existing appointments and offer either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

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. 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.

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

Holy Name has administered more than 127,000 vaccines to date, 7,800 of which were the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Hospital officials said they are "not aware of any adverse side effects in anyone we have vaccinated with this vaccine."

The state issued guidance that put a pause on all Johnson & Johnson vaccinations in New Jersey on Tuesday.

"All New Jersey vaccination sites have been told to cancel or put on hold appointments for the J&J vaccine until further notice. For individuals scheduled to receive the J&J vaccine, the Department will work with all vaccination sites to make arrangements for the administration of an alternative two-dose vaccine. We will work with all sites, as needed, to reschedule vaccination appointments," said Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.

This includes places like Holy Name, but also pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens. Read more: NJ Pharmacies To Stop Using Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

Still, Murphy said this shouldn't impact the state's herd immunity timeline.

"Even with this pause, our overall goal of vaccination 4.7 million adult New Jerseyans remains not only in place, but entirely achievable," he said.

Holy Name recommends that "anybody who has received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the last 2 weeks who has severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath should contact their health care provider."

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