Johnson & Johnson vaccines were suspended statewide until further notice.
Foto:
TIMOTHY D. EASLEY / EFE
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As a precautionary measure, New York City immediately suspended the use of vaccines on Tuesday against him COVID-19 of Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported six cases of women in the country who recorded a “rare and serious” type of blood clot, several days after receiving a dose.
And for the more than 4,000 people who already had appointments to be injected this Tuesday, Wednesday and the rest of the week with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at immunization centers in all five boroughs, the Health authorities ensured that all will be reprogrammed and with use only from Moderna and Pfizer doses.
“In this city we have already put 234,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and so far, thank goodness, we have had no reports of any blood clots. But we are taking this very seriously, ”said the mayor. Bill de Blasio.
The municipal representative emphasized that as immediate measures, “here in the city we are putting a pause to all vaccinations with Johnson & Johnson. Each site received the order this morning not to give those injections any more, and the vaccination centers are already coordinating new appointments for those who had one today or in the next few days ”.
And by insisting that despite this ‘step backwards’ vaccines remain the best weapon to defeat the COVID-19, the Mayor’s Chief Health Advisor, Dr. Jay Varma, said that what happened “it is a sign that the system implemented in the country is working, which manages to identify any event, however rare it may be with vaccines, something that happens once in millions of times, and what it shows is, not that the vaccine is risky, but how it should be applied, taking the best evidence that vaccines really work ”.
Dr. Varma insisted that, despite the pause that was decided in the application of these vaccines while the federal government conducts its investigations, “With all certainty in the future (the J&J) will continue to be part of our inventory in the immunization plan.”
Meanwhile, the City Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chosky, assured that while this suspension of the use of the J&J is fulfilled, “now the priority is to continue with the vaccination effort against COVID-19, as the number one priority to protect New Yorkers, but focusing only on managing Pfizer and Moderna ”.
And to calm any fears that someone who has already received the J&J dose may have, De Blasio recalled: “I received that injection, our Health Commissioner received that injection, and we had no problems. We continue to believe in the effectiveness of this vaccine, but of course we take any concern very seriously, and we assure you that will be investigated”.
State changes appointments for Pfizer
The State Health Commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, confirmed that his agency also ordered all immunization centers that are run by state authorities to suspend the use of those vaccines.
“Today, the CDC and the FDA issued a statement recommending a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as a precaution. New York State will follow that recommendation and stop use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine statewide immediately“Zucker noted, adding that as these health and safety agencies evaluate next steps,” all appointments for Johnson & Johnson vaccines today at New York State mass vaccination sites will be honored with the Pfizer vaccine. “
The state commissioner added that as the CDC and FDA have said, “any adverse event related to vacuna Johnson & Johnson ‘appears to be extremely rare’ and people who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks of vaccination should contact their healthcare provider ”.
“I am in constant contact with the federal government and will update New Yorkers as more information becomes available,” Zucker concluded.
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