Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution Paused

OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Washington State Department of Health announced Tuesday morning that they will pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine statewide, starting immediately. This is following the guidance of the FDA and CDC. The use of the vaccine will be on hold until they receive further recommendations from those federal partners.

This action was taken due to reports of six patients, all women under 50, who experienced serious brain blood clots combined with low platelet counts after receiving the vaccine.

About 149,000 doses of J & J vaccine have been administered in Washington so far, out of more than four million doses total. Right now, the DOH has no knowledge of the six patients who experienced these blood clots being Washington residents.

Washington's DOH says that for those who got the vaccine more than a month ago, the risk of this complication is very low at this time. People who have received the J & J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider. The DOH also says this demonstrates how well the robust vaccine safety monitoring systems work, since this potential safety concern was identified quickly and vaccines were paused to allow for further investigation.

No definitive cause has been identified yet, but the FDA said today that a probable cause is a rare immune response generated by an individual after receiving the vaccine.

DOH will continue to monitor the situation related to J & J vaccine and update on its use as the pause is reviewed and once it is lifte