NC Woman Believes Mother's Death Linked To J&J Shot: Report

CHARLOTTE, NC — A Charlotte woman believes her mother's death from a brain aneurysm days after she received a Johnson & Johnson shot may be linked to the coronavirus vaccine, according to a report.

Allyson Hendrix of Charlotte told WJZY that her mother Darlene Blackwell received the shot March 30 and two days later was admitted into an area hospital.

“They couldn’t figure out what was going on, so they did a CT scan and that’s when they found all the bleeding on the brain,” she told the station. “It was so massive at first that they thought it was actually two aneurysms, but it was only one. It was just so big.”

Blackwell died April 9.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday due to a rare occurrence of blood-clot concerns. Following guidance from federal public health regulators, North Carolina then asked its vaccine providers in the state to temporarily halt administering the vaccine.

SEE ALSO: J&J Vaccines Paused In North Carolina 'Until We Learn More': DHHS

Hendrix said she made the possible connection while watching the news.

"We were sitting at my grandmother’s house and the news was kind of turned down on low. I was reading the headlines and it said Johnson & Johnson vaccine put on hold,” Hendrix told the station. “It just hit me, like, what if that happened?”

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine because of "extremely rare" blood clot concerns that emerged in several states. Out of 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered in the U.S., six have been linked to cases of severe brain blood clots reported in women between the ages of 18 and 48.

None of the six cases cited by the CDC were in North Carolina, according to DHHS.

The news of the pause came, however, just days after one North Carolina vaccination site temporarily halted administering the shot after 18 people had adverse reactions.

SEE ALSO: Adverse Reactions Temporarily Halt J&J Vaccinations At NC Site

In North Carolina, J&J shots represent a small portion of the nearly 46 percent of adults who are partially vaccinated and more than 33 percent fully vaccinated, according to North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Of the more than 6 million doses of COVID vaccine have been administered in the state, 251,916 people had received the J&J vaccine as of Friday.

The vast majority of vaccines administered in North Carolina are Pfizer and Moderna.

"The safety system in place is working as it should," DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen said Tuesday. "If you have an appointment for Pfizer or Moderna, please go to your appointment as planned. If you have an appointment for Johnson & Johnson, your appointment will be re-scheduled."

SEE ALSO:

• Feds Pause Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccine In NC, Across US
• J&J Pause Not Expected To Hurt Vaccine Availability In NC
• Vaccine Passports In NC? 2 Out Of 3 Patch Readers Say No