Local colleges who planned to offer students access to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have put these plans on hold until the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control investigate and provide more information on six individuals who experienced severe blood clots after getting vaccinated.
SUNY Brockport is one of those colleges who planned to offer the vaccine. Officials announced Monday that the school’s first-ever vaccine clinic would be held on campus — offering students the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
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There were 300 doses waiting to be administered, but just hours before the clinic was set to begin Tuesday, the FDA and CDC released a statement, recommending that the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the United States is paused until further notice.
This comes after six out of almost 7 million people experienced “extremely rare” and severe blood clotting within three weeks of receiving the vaccine. The people who experienced these side effects were all women.
The FDA and CDC say they’re only recommending the pause of administering the vaccine out of an abundance of caution.
SUNY Brockport announced shortly after the news that the clinic would be postponed. Even though the Johnson & Johnson vaccine won’t be administered in New York State until it’s cleared, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are still available.
The college sent out an email Tuesday with a link students can use to book an appointment in Monroe County to get one of those vaccines.
New York State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker released a statement Tuesday morning saying that all appointments for Johnson & Johnson vaccines for the day at New York State mass vaccination sites will be honored with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
People who have already received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination are are asked to contact their healthcare provider.
