Staff report

The CDC and FDA halted the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, April 13, in order to review six reported cases of a rare and severe side effect that has resulted in at least one death.

More than 6.8 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the United States, according to the CDC. That makes the possibility of suffering from the rare side effect, a blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, less than one in one million. 

Six women between the ages of 18 and 48 developed symptoms six to 13 days after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to the CDC. 

“The pause, we are told, is for two major reasons,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “Number one, to determine how many cases are truly out there. If there are more than just six, certainly with AstraZeneca more were found at the time of the pause.”

Beshear said the second reason is the importance of educating medical providers on the appropriate treatment for the blood clots because it differs from usual treatments. 

Chief Medical Officer Bob Hughes said he is not aware of any local medical providers who would receive such education because an illness as rare and severe as the blood clots that paused the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are handled at large medical centers. 

“One treatment is to go up in the brain and remove the blood clot which would be done at a large medical center,” Hughes said. 

If such side effects were to occur locally, Hughes said local medical providers would stabilize the patient and then transport them to a hospital that could provide the necessary treatment. 

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply in Kentucky, particularly in western Kentucky, has been limited because of  supply. Therefore, the majority of the vaccines administered locally have been the Moderna vaccine, Hughes said. 

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was administered at the CFSB Center on March 11. However, Hughes said they only received half of the amount of vaccines that were supposed to have arrived for the vaccination clinic.

Shawn Touney, director of communication, said anyone who received the vaccine at the CFSB Center is no longer at risk of the severe blood clots.  

“The Calloway County Health Department has confirmed that those at Murray State who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on March 11 are out of the window of concern, since it has been greater than three weeks since Johnson & Johnson vaccines were given,” Tourney said.

For those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine elsewhere, Hughes said if it were him he would not be overly concerned given the news of the halt. 

“I wouldn’t be concerned but at the same time too I would be cognizant of the fact that I did the vaccine and if i developed any symptoms that were serious that concerned me such as a severe headache, vision changes, shortness of breath, any symptom of a blood clot, leg, lung, head, then I would obviously immediately seek medical attention just as if I would if I had not gotten the vaccine,” Hughes said. 

While severe reactions have not happened locally, Hughes said most reactions have been the same regardless of which vaccine was administered. 

“Symptoms with the J & J have been similar to those of the other vaccines, muscle aches, 24 hours of typically feeling like flu-like symptoms,” Hughes said. 

2018 Murray State alumna McKenna Dosier received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on March 15. She experienced fatigue, body aches and a low grade fever a few hours after the shot, but her symptoms subsided by the next day except for a sore arm. Despite the mild symptoms she endured Dosier said she would still recommend getting the vaccine. 

“I know there’s been some claims about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but I trust the science and scientists that studied and created the vaccine,” Dosier said. “We’re all ready for this pandemic to end. For live music, no masks and to hug our at risk loved ones. It’s time to trust science.”

One question those who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have asked local medical providers is whether or not they should be concerned about its effectiveness and if they should now get the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. Hughes said the vaccine is effective and there is no need to get a second vaccination. 

Some people were hesitant to receive any of the vaccinations prior to the news of the Johnson & Johnson pause, but Hughes said the the halt shouldn’t deter anyone from getting vaccinated. 

“The chance of getting COVID and the chance of having serious complications, because it’s not just a die or better situation it’s much much greater than the risk of getting the blood clot,” Hughes said.  “I would encourage everyone to get vaccinated.”

Beshear announced the 2.5 million challenge on Monday, April 12. If the state of Kentucky can get 2.5 million people fully vaccinated then Beshear is prepared to eliminate capacity requirements at many businesses. Currently, there are more than 1.6 million Kentuckians who have received a vaccination.

Hughes said it is a very good idea to still wear a mask even after being fully vaccinated.  

“People still need to be vaccinated but everyone still needs to do the handwashing, social distancing and wearing a mask until we get more people vaccinated,” Hughes said. “Shots in the arm for everybody is the goal.”

Touney echoed Hughes’ statement and said having a low positive case count on campus this semester can be attributed to faculty, staff and students following the University’s guidelines. 

“We are glad to see that our case counts have been low this semester and ask that everyone continue to follow all of our Racer Safe and Healthy Guidelines on campus, particularly wearing a face mask and social distancing so that we can finish the spring semester strong,” Tourney said. “Again, we also encourage anyone who has not received a vaccine to please sign up for one at www.murraykyvaccine.org.”

As of press time, there were over 660 vaccination appointments available at the CFSB Center vaccination site, according to www.murraykyvaccine.org.