Apr 14, 2021 4 min read

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Tuesday notified all COVID-19 vaccine providers in the state to suspend administering doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine until at least April 20 after the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and Food and Drug Administration recommended a pause of the single-dose vaccine while it investigates reports of potentially dangerous blood clots.

In a joint statement Tuesday, the CDC and FDA said they were investigating unusual clots in six women that occurred six to 13 days after vaccination. All six cases were in women between the ages of 18 and 48.

To date, nearly 7 million doses of the vaccine have been administered nationwide, with no or mild side effects in the vast majority of those vaccinations.

Allegheny Health Network, which has administered the J&J vaccine, has received no reports of the rare blood clotting condition from people following their vaccinations. It will temporarily suspend distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

“However, people who have received this vaccine type and develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider,” AHN advised.

AHN will continue to administer both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, the network said in the press release. It will wait for additional guidance from the CDC and FDA after those agencies review the cases. The CDC is scheduled to meet Wednesday to review them.

Washington Health System has only administered the Pfizer vaccine since it began providing shots.

Dr. David Hess, CEO of WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital, said the J&J vaccine has never been used as the hospital’s Uniontown Mall clinic, where the Pfizer vaccine primarily has been distributed.

“If someone was on a schedule to get a J&J vaccine, we’d encourage them to contact us and get signed up,” Hess said, referring to the county’s registry.

Local health-care providers, including WHS and Mon Valley, stressed that it is important for people to get vaccinated as soon as possible, noting an increase in COVID-19 cases throughout areas of the country, including Pennsylvania, and an increasing number of variants.

Hess noted millions have been vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna, and “the safety is there.”

Hess said it’s understandable that the pause on the single-shot J&J vaccine might cause some concern. Instead, he said, it should leave people “encouraged.”

“I think the fact that the FDA stepped in and paused J&J, which came out after Pfizer and Moderna, should give people confidence. If they had seen something with Pfizer or Moderna, they’d have done that with them already,” he said.

Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Alison Beam echoed Hess’ thoughts and said the vaccine pause “is challenging,” but it “highlights the vaccine evaluation process.”

Beam said none of the blood clot cases involved Pennsylvania residents. She also said the state was only expecting the delivery of 20,000 J&J doses this week.

The bulk of the scheduled vaccine appointments involve the use of the Pfizer and Moderna drugs, Beam said.

“The CDC and the FDA are closely monitoring vaccines for safety and effectiveness, and if there is a cause for concern, they will take action because safety is paramount,” said Beam. “This protocol should give all Pennsylvanians confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, and individuals should proceed with getting vaccinated as soon as possible to fight the virus, particularly as our case counts rise.”

Rich Rinehart, Chief Executive Officer for Cornerstone Care Community Health Centers, too, encouraged people to opt for the vaccine.

“Our goal is to reach herd immunity level for our communities,” said Rinehart.

Nickman’s Drug, which has five locations in Fayette County, announced Tuesday that it would pause J&J vaccine distribution at three stores that were slated to start giving it this week. The other two stores are scheduled to carry Moderna.

Peter Kreckel, the chain’s director of clinical services, said Tuesday that, with permission from their vaccine supplier, employees worked to transport Moderna to all five locations.

While it will limit the supply, Kreckel said they are hopeful the supplier will be able to ramp up Moderna distribution.

Staff writer Scott Beveridge and Herald-Standard Managing Editor Jennifer Garofalo contributed to this report.