Of the 2,300 Johnson and Johnson vaccines administered on-site Thursday, Wake County officials said 18 total patients responded to the vaccine. Four were transported to local hospitals and fourteen others had minor reactions. The four others are being evaluated and are expected to be released.
All reactions occurred during the 15-minute observation period after receiving any COVID-19 vaccine.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is only one shot, as opposed to the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccine.
Wake County health officials said the responses to the vaccinations “are consistent with known common side effects of receiving the vaccine.”
The most common side effects are arm pain, fatigue, body aches and, in some cases, low fever.
“We know it can be worrying to hear whether people are responding to vaccination – that’s why we are watching those who vaccinate us in case of reaction,” he said. Kim McDonald, medical director of Wake County Public Health, said. NCDHHS and the CDC to further evaluate the situation to ensure that everyone is confident in the continued safety of our vaccine operations. “
A spokesman for the NCDHHS said in a statement: “We are working with the Wake County Public Health team to investigate reactions to the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine during an event at the PNC Arena today. an abundance of caution has Wake County Health The department has currently suspended the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, we have not yet received any reports of other increased reactions from any other provider, but will continue to investigate “We have notified Johnson & Johnson and are in touch with the Federal Government.”
UNC Health initially told ABC11 it would continue administering J&J vaccines, but later said it had suspended the administration of the vaccines for Thursday “out of an abundance of caution.”
“Over the past two days, UNC Health has administered more than 2,200 doses of J&J to patients at our largest vaccination clinic, Chapel Hill’s Friday Center, and our clinic at Hillsborough Hospital. We will work closely with our partners, including Wake County and the “State of North Carolina, to share new information. Our patients’ safety and health are our top priority,” a spokesman said in a statement.
As of 6 p.m., Duke Health plans to continue vaccinating Johnson & Johnson.
“Duke Health received Janssen (J&J) vaccine from the same lot number identified at the Wake County Vaccine Clinic, but the shipment was not sent directly to Duke by intermediaries. No patients at Duke experienced any serious incidents,” he said. a spokesman for the Duke wrote. “Minor side effects of the vaccine are similar to those reported by the manufacturer before approval, and remain within the expected dose.”
The operations at a mass vaccination clinic in Denver were closed on Wednesday after 11 people who received vaccinations with the Johnson and Johnson doses also had ‘adverse reactions’, reports the KMGH, ABC branch.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment originally said that patients experience symptoms such as nausea and dizziness. Nine of the patients were treated with juice and water on the premises.
But on Thursday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said there were no problems with the vaccines.
“Maybe they were dehydrated or scared of needles,” Polis said at a Thursday news conference. Two people were taken to hospital for observation.
Despite the hospital transport, the side effects the 11 patients reported were “in line with what can be expected” from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Scott Bookman, a commander of the COVID-19 incident, said in a statement. statement told CNN.
“We know it can be worrying to hear that people are being transported to the hospital, and we want to assure Colorado residents that the CDC and public health are constantly monitoring the authorized vaccines,” Bookman said. “Based on everything we know, it remains true that is the best vaccine you can get the fastest.”
Johnson & Johnson sent the following statement to ABC News:
“There is no greater priority than the safety and well-being of the people we serve, and we are investigating reports of adverse events in individuals receiving our medicines and vaccines. Any report on individuals receiving our COVID-19 vaccine and our assessment The report is being shared with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other relevant health authorities, and is part of the established process of notifying health authorities’ comprehensive oversight programs that monitor the overall safety of medicines, as well as the vaccines that are allowed to be used against them. We are gathering the necessary information, including from the local vaccination center, to evaluate these reports. ‘
“It is relatively common to experience side effects from any of the three vaccines available in the US – about 10% to 15% of volunteers in vaccine trials have ‘developed very noticeable side effects’,” the former scientist said. Operation Warp Speed Advisor Moncef Slaoui
Just like the 11 patients in Colorado, headaches and swelling can also occur at the injection site, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Severe side effects, such as an allergic reaction, are much less common, occurring approximately every two to five per million people, said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN earlier this month.
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CNN contributed to this report.
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