Woodbridge Twp. Vaccine Site Not Affected By J&J Pause

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — The vaccination site run by Woodbridge Township is unaffected by Tuesday's news that the CDC and FDA recommend pausing use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to rare — and fatal — blood clot issues.

But the Woodbridge Wegmans primarily used Johnson & Johnson and has paused all of those shots. Appointments are being canceled.

"Following the recommendations of the CDC and FDA, Wegmans has canceled all Johnson & Johnson vaccine appointments. We will pause use of the J&J vaccine while the CDC & FDA further investigate the issue," said Wegmans in a statement Tuesday morning.

"For individuals scheduled to receive the J&J vaccine, the Department of Health 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 NJ Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli.

The Township-run site at the Woodbridge Health Dept. exclusively gives out the Moderna vaccine.

"The Woodbridge Department of Health dispenses the Moderna vaccine, not J&J. Therefore, the J&J issue has no impact on the Health Department’s vaccination program," said Woodbridge spokesman John Hagerty Tuesday morning.

Vaccinations will continue there as normal this week. Meanwhile other sites in New Jersey, such as Secaucus, have had to cancel all J&J appointments scheduled for this week. Some sites in Pennsylvania had to shut down entirely due to the pause, as J&J was the only shot they gave out.

The pause will also affect anyone scheduled to receive the vaccine at a CVS or Walgreens, as they primarily give out the Johnson & Johnson shot.

"We are immediately implementing a pause in the use of the Johnson and Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine per the recommendation from federal health agencies," said CVS in a statement.

The FDA and the CDC recommended pausing use of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine nationwide, because some people are developing blood clots, and at least one case was fatal. Six women in America, between the ages of 18 and 48, developed rare 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. to date.

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