The Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) has temporarily paused use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in Haines and other consortium communities, in accordance with a Tuesday recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
The organizations recommended the pause while they review data associated with six reported cases of a rare blood clot condition developed after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. All six cases occurred in women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms appeared six to 13 days after vaccination.
Approximately 60 Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been administered in Haines and Klukwan, so far. They were administered on Monday at a Haines Health Center drive-through clinic, the first time the vaccine had been offered to Chilkat Valley residents. Those who participated in the clinic were given a choice between the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines.
Madeleine Rayner, who opted to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at Monday’s clinic, said she heard about the blood clot cases prior to receiving her vaccine.
“It made me think, I need to research it more,” Rayner said. She looked into it and concluded the risk was worth it. “From my understanding, there are (a few) cases out of seven million people, so that’s a pretty low number to me.”
To date, 6.8 million doses of the vaccine have been administered nationwide.
Rayner said she opted to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine over the Moderna because of its convenience. She’s a U.K. citizen visiting Haines for several months.
“(The Johnson & Johnson vaccine) is a one-jab wonder. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be here long enough to get a second shot,” she said, adding that while injecting something foreign into her body gave her slight pause, she thinks getting vaccinated is the best thing she can do right now to help the world move toward reopening.
A number of people in Haines had been waiting to get vaccinated specifically so they could receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to Haines Health Center clinic administrator Stephanie Pattison in a March interview. She said she wasn’t clear on their motivations but assumed it had to do with the relative ease of the vaccine.
The other two COVID-19 vaccines approved in the U.S. are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which require two doses. Nationwide, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires one dose, was being earmarked for people with limited ability to access healthcare facilities.
On Tuesday, Alaska health officials held a press briefing to answer questions about the temporary pause on Johnson & Johnson vaccine use. They said those who have been vaccinated recently should monitor for symptoms, a message echoed by SEARHC officials.
“SEARHC patients who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine do not need to take any special precautions; however, patients experiencing symptoms of concern should contact their healthcare provider for follow-up. Symptoms of concern include severe headache, abdominal pain, shortness of breath or leg pain within two weeks of receiving the… vaccine,” spokesperson Maegan Bosak said.
According to state health officials on the Tuesday call, MRIs are the best tool for assessing whether a patient displaying these symptoms is suffering from the blood clot condition. The Haines Health Center doesn’t have an MRI machine.
Tuesday afternoon, roughly 24-hours out from the vaccine, Rayner said she was feeling okay for someone who just received a COVID-19 vaccine.
“It feels like my body is tired and exhausted, achy and stiff, but nothing drastic,” she said.
State officials said they don’t know how long the pause will last, and that it was done “out of an abundance of caution.” They clarified that the other two vaccines are considered “extremely safe and effective.” There’s some concern among health experts that the Johnson & Johnson announcement could increase vaccine hesitancy. Haines has seen a recent decline in it’s vaccination sign-up rate as most adults who want a vaccine have received one.
To date, SEARHC has administered 271 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in eight communities. In Alaska, as of April 12, there had been 11,178 Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses administered out of 35,500 doses allocated in the state.