J&J vaccines ‘on hold’ in Tarrant after FDA recommends pause over blood clot reports
Tarrant County is putting the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine “on hold” at community events following the most recent advice from the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control, officials said.
The Arlington Fire Department announced Tuesday it will no longer be administering the single-shot J&J doses at AT&T Stadium, where a mass-vaccination event began Sunday. Those in need of second doses of the Pfizer vaccine can still get their shots at the event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the northwest corner of the stadium, at 900 W. Randol Mill Road, the fire department said.
Arlington officials don’t yet have a count of how many appointments were canceled, but this week the Arlington site received about 21,000 doses of the J&J vaccine. Officials have also paused homebound vaccinations and community vaccination events.
At this point, doses don’t need to be tossed, but that could change depending on how long the pause continues, said Richard Fegan, Arlington Fire Department spokesperson.
Tarrant County Public Health officials are issuing new appointments at other county vaccination sites that administer the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Vinny Taneja, the county’s public health director, encourages people to not mistrust the vaccines with this hiccup.
“I know there was a lot of consternation about the vaccines being developed fast. Are they safe? Yes, they’re safe,” Taneja said. “And that’s why these safeguards are in place. And even the slightest hint of any issues, we take a pause, evaluate everything before we move forward.”
Fort Worth and Burleson have also halted their program with Kroger to administer 400 doses of the J&J vaccine to clients of Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County, according to Mike Drivdahl, a spokesman for the Fort Worth Fire Department. The partners are putting the vaccine “on hold” until they receive further guidance from the FDA and CDC, Drivdahl said.
Drivdahl was unable to say how many J&J shots have been administered.
He noted many other Tarrant County events, including the campaign at Texas Motor Speedway, have been using the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The FDA and CDC announced on Tuesday morning they were recommending a pause on the vaccine “out of an abundance of caution.” As of Tuesday, 6.8 million doses of the vaccine have been administered across the U.S., and there were six reported cases of rare and severe blood clots after the shot, according to a statement from the agencies. All six cases were in women between the ages of 19 and 48, officials said, and the symptoms occurred six to 13 days after vaccination.
The CDC will review the cases on Wednesday and assess their potential significance, according to the statement. The FDA will review those findings as it carries out its own investigation.
In Texas, state officials are asking all providers to pause all administration of the J&J vaccine following the federal recommendations. None of the blood clots cases reported at this time has occurred in Texas, where more than 500,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered, officials said.
“These adverse events appear to be extremely rare and are being further evaluated to ensure vaccine safety,” state officials said in a statement.
People should contact their healthcare provider if they develop a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination, state officials said.
Tuesday marked the third day of the community vaccination event at AT&T Stadium. It runs seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those who want to participate must have appointments through Tarrant County Public Health.
People needing a second shot, however, can show up at any point between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. with their vaccination card, officials said.
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 8:59 AM.
