Johnson & Johnson Coronavirus Vaccine Pause In RI: What To Know

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Islanders are at a very low risk of developing severe complications from the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, health officials said Tuesday in an effort to reassure residents. The state implemented a pause on the single-use vaccine, following recommendations from federal health care agencies.

To date, there have been six cases of severe or fatal blood clots out of the 6.85 million dosed of the J&J vaccine administered nationwide, said Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. That means there’s about a one in a million chance of someone in the U.S. developing a similar clot.

"These adverse events seem to be extremely rare," Alexander-Scott said.

Here in Rhode Island, only about 31,500 doses of the vaccine have been administered, and no adverse reactions have been reported.

The system works

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention and Food & Drug Administration recommended the pause in distribution out of an abundance of caution after six people — all women — developed blood clots after receiving the shot. One died, and another is in critical condition.

This pause shows that the safety regulations in place for vaccines work, Alexander-Scott said. State officials expect the halt to only last a few days, and they say they don’t expect any doses will go to waste during that time.

"We have a robust monitoring system at the national level," she explained.

What to look for

The six women who had blood clots all developed symptoms six to 13 days after getting their vaccine, Alexander-Scott said. That means that Rhode Islanders who got a J&J vaccine over a month ago have an "extremely low" chance of developing a blood clot, Alexander-Scott said.

Rhode Islanders who got the vaccine within the past week or two shouldn't be concerned either, she said, since the likelihood of developing a clot is extremely rare. Residents only need to reach out to their health care provider if they develop unusual or concerning symptoms.

Only women developed blood clots so far, and all were between the ages of 18 and 48. Symptoms included severe headache, abdominal pain or leg pain.

Rhode Island appointments

Most Rhode Island residents with an appointment for a Johnson & Johnson vaccine will not need to reschedule, said Tom McCarthy, the director of the state's vaccine distribution. The state has enough Pfizer and Moderna vaccines doses to cover nearly all the scheduled appointments, McCarthy said, meaning most people will simply be given a different vaccine type at their scheduled time.

About 300 people will need to reschedule their appointments, McCarthy said. This includes those scheduled at Green Line Pharmacy, White Cross Pharmacy and Rhode Island Free clinic. These companies will contact every affected directly. In addition, certain retail partners such as CVS or Walgreens may require rescheduled appointments for Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Read more: RI Halts J&J Coronavirus Vaccine Following Federal Recommendation