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Washington state suspends use of Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine after CDC and FDA advisory

[OLYMPIA] – (MTN) The Center for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration recommended pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after reports of rare, but serious complications after vaccination. In response to this recommended pause, the Washington state Department of Health is temporarily suspending the distribution of the J&J vaccine.

The Department of Health released a prepared statement. “Use of that vaccine will be put on hold until we receive further recommendations from our federal partners about how best to move forward. Safety is the highest priority when it comes to all COVID-19 vaccines.”

In the United States, approximately seven million adults have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. There were six reports of serious blood clots among women from 18 to 48 years of age, six to 13 days after receiving their injection. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single dose. One patient died, and one other was hospitalized in critical condition.

“The probable cause that we believe may be involved here, that we can speculate, is a similar mechanism that may be going on with other adno viral vector vaccines. This is an immune response that occurs very, very rarely after some people receive the vaccine. That immune response leads to activation of the platelets and these extremely rare blood clots,” said Peter Marks, Director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

One of the primary reasons for the pause is to advise the medical community on how to treat this rare side effect. Heparin is frequently used as a treatment for blood clots, but “In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given,” both the CDC and FDA advised.

In Washington, almost 150,000 people have received the J&J vaccine, of the four million doses administered to date.

Health officials are recommending that you keep your appointment if you’re scheduled to receive the J&J vaccine unless the provider reschedules. A number of locations are switching to the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to keep appointments. Officials in Snohomish County indicated the vaccine appointments at the Angels of the Wind Casino were being canceled.

Anyone who received the J&J vaccine more than a month ago should have little concern for clotting. The CDC advised that if you experience severe headaches, chest pain, leg pain, or difficulty breathing within 30 days of receiving the J&J vaccine, you should see a medical professional promptly, particularly if you were born a biological female and are under 50 years old.

Full disclosure: the author received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Saturday, April 10, 2021, and experienced typical side effects of fatigue, sore injection site, chills, and fever.

BIPOC, Editorial, Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, LGBTQIA, Local, National, Weather

Malcontentment Happy Hour: February 15, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from February 15, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Andy Finseth goes from Seattle Firefighter of the Year to an accused felon, and Dave Preston of Safe Seattle inserts himself into the story
  • Seattle has the biggest snowstorm since 1968, sort of
  • Malcontented Minutes
    • Rupaul’s Drag Race Sherry Pie, aka Joey Gugliemelli, embroiled in a catfishing scandal
    • UFC fighter Julian Marquez asks Miley Cyrus for a date in a cringeworthy way
    • A man hikes over 6 miles carrying a lost dog in the Irish wilderness
    • Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) threatens to block the Senate confirmation of Deb Halland to Secretary of the Interior
    • CDC study indicates ER visits for drug overdoses increased 45% from June 2019 to May 2020
    • Pioneering LGBTQIA+ artist who worked with Madonna, Chaka Khan, and Cyndi Lauper dies of leukemia
    • Dave Chappelle releases a video discussing the hypocrisy of Colin Kaepernick critics
    • A “war” over tips in Cinncinnati nets over $34,000 for restaurant workers
    • Animals at the Oregon Zoo relished playing in the snow
    • Six indigenous artists received $50K grants to support their “bold artistic vision” and protect native American artistry techniques
  • Tacoma “Love” update
  • COVID Five Fast Facts
  • Impeachment closure

Health and Lifestyle, National

Millions take to the skies for the holidays

United States air travel reached levels not seen since Thanksgiving, with over three-million air passengers passing through TSA checkpoints in the last three days. Analysts are estimating ten-million air passengers will travel over the next week. The holiday air travel is happening despite pleas from local, state, and federal officials to stay home, as hospitals across the nation become overwhelmed with COVID patients.

Earlier today, Governor Jay Inslee of Washington announced travel restrictions for people from the U.K. and South Africa. In the U.K., officials have identified a new strain of COVID that is more contagious but not more lethal. The variant in South Africa is also a new strain and targets younger victims with worse symptoms. Over 40 nations had issued travel bans to and from the U.K. and South Africa by Monday evening. The CDC has the two countries at a level 4 alert: “do not travel,” while the U.S. State Department has issued a level 3 alert, “travel not recommended.”

The Washington travel restriction is not a ban. Still, people traveling from the U.K. or South Africa must self-quarantine for 14 days after their arrival. According to the website, FlightsFrom, there are 13 scheduled direct flights between Seattle and London this coming week.

On Friday, a United Airlines flight from Orlando to Los Angeles diverted to New Orleans due to an onboard health emergency. The male passenger died, and the CDC may start advising others on the flight to seek a COVID test. According to eye witness accounts, the man was in poor health with breathing difficulty when he boarded the plane. His wife told officials he had COVID-like symptoms but elected to board the aircraft anyway. 

The United States is leading the world in daily COVID infections, total infected, daily deaths, and total deaths.