United States resumed vaccination with Johnson & Johnson after 11-day hiatus

Multiple states and localities in the United States resumed vaccination with the injectable from Janssen, the Belgian subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, on Saturday. (J&J), eleven days after stopping its administration due to several cases of thrombosis in women.

One day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the green light to resume use of J & J’s covid-19 vaccine, a score of states announced their plans to administer it again.

The authorities of some states, such as Maryland, Massachusetts or Maine re-vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson almost immediately after the FDA announcementWhile others announced their plans to use the preparation again in a matter of hours or days.

“The state of New York will resume with immediate effect the administration of this vaccine in all our state facilities “ of vaccination, announced this Saturday the governor of New York, the democrat Andrew Cuomo, in a statement.

STATES ACT WITH RAPIDITY

Other states that resumed vaccination this Saturday or announced their plans to do so in the short term were Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Those responsible for Vermont preferred to leave for next week the reinstatement of Johnson & Johnson to its campaign, while the Indiana authorities reopened its most iconic vaccination center: the one located at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which only offers the Janssen preparation.

California did not immediately announce the resumption of use of that single-dose preparation, but its most populous county, which is the city of Los Angeles, did indicate to its vaccination centers that they could re-administer this vaccine.

The United States has so far only administered 8 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines, compared to the more than 118 million units of Pfizer and the 98 million of Moderna that have been supplied in the country since the vaccination campaign began in December.

NINE MILLION DOSES ON SHELVES

The states and localities of the country have in their possession at least 9 million more doses of J&J preparation that they could start applying, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

State authorities did not give too many details about how they plan to combat possible fears of the population to receive the J&J vaccine, although the FDA insisted this Friday that the benefits of the product “outweigh its known and potential risks.”

In many localities in the United States, where the vaccination campaign is well advanced, it is possible to choose the type of vaccine you want to receive when making an appointment, and the authorities have stressed that those who choose J&J they will receive a paper warning about their potential risks.

Scientists from CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) have suggested that That notice says that women under 50 should be aware of possible thrombi from the vaccine.

The administration of this serum is paused in the United States on April 13, after six cases of cerebral thrombosis were detected in women under 48 who had received the vaccine, of which one died.

FIFTEEN CASES OF CONFIRMED THROMBS IN THE USA

As of this Friday, the CDC documented a total of fifteen confirmed cases of clots in women vaccinated with J&J, of which three have died. Most of the patients who developed thrombi after being immunized are in their 30s, although there have been cases in women between 18 and 59 years old.

Of the fifteen affected, seven are still hospitalized and four of them are in intensive care units, according to the ACIP.

The initial symptom was headache, that normally began six days after being vaccinated, although, as time passed, the patients presented nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, weakness on one side of the body, speech difficulties, loss of consciousness, and spasms, detailed the doctor.

Seven of the women were obese, two had hypothyroidism, two had high blood pressure and another two were taking contraceptives; although it is not clear if these factors could contribute to increase the risk of developing thrombi.

ASTRAZENECA, THE GREAT ABSENT IN THE USA

Both the J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines, which apparently have also caused cases of thrombi in Europe, have been developed through the modification of an adenovirus, unlike others such as Pfizer and Moderna, which have used a technology based on messenger RNA.

The US has granted authorization for emergency use of sera from Pfizer, Moderna and J&J, while AstraZeneca has not yet applied for such permission.

This week, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) found a “Possible link” between the development of very rare blood clots and the J&J vaccine, but confirmed that the balance between benefit and risk of this preparation remains “positive”.

After two weeks of investigations into the cases detected in the United States, the EMA decided to add to the vaccine leaflet a warning of the possible, very small risk of developing blood clotting, but continues to recommend its use in the European Union (EU).