Note: Denton County Public Health, the largest COVID-19 vaccine provider in the county, has never received/administered the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The Highland Village Fire Department announced Tuesday that it is cancelling its vaccination clinics scheduled this week due to state and federal recommendations regarding concerns over the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
The pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine came after a “rare and severe type of blood clot” was reported in six women across the nation after getting the shot, according to the Texas Tribune. None of the six happened in Texas, state health officials said. About 500,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in Texas, according to a statement by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Nearly 7 million people across the U.S. have gotten the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
None of those J&J vaccines were administered by Denton County Public Health, the largest vaccine provider in Denton County. DCPH has only administered two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, and clinic operations this week will remain as scheduled.
DCPH has not received J&J vaccine in any previous or current vaccine allocations. Clinic operations this week will remain as scheduled, as all doses provided by DCPH at TMS this week are Pfizer. https://t.co/1JY6tvE1ZV
— Denton County Public Health (@WeAreDCPH) April 13, 2021
The Highland Village Fire Department has held small vaccination clinics recently, but it is awaiting further instruction from the CDC and FDA regarding the J&J vaccines.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday to determine the next course of action, which will give state health officials more direction on how long the pause might last or other next steps, said Dr. David Lakey, vice chancellor for health affairs and a chief medical officer at the University of Texas System and a member of the state’s Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel.
The biggest impact in Texas is likely to be on larger retail pharmacies such as H-E-B and other chains, which were anticipating that about two-thirds of the supply being delivered this week would be Johnson & Johnson, Lakey said. Because the vaccine is more stable and more easily stored than those produced by Pfizer and Moderna, it was also the vaccine of choice for mobile vaccination efforts, including the Save Our Seniors program, which targeted seniors in their homes, he said.
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