Tag Archives: johnson & johnson

Health and Lifestyle, Local

70% of King County is fully vaccinated for COVID – mask mandate ends on June 29

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) King County Health announced that the county is the largest in the nation to achieve 70% of the population 16 years and older fully vaccinated today, and will drop the indoor mask mandate on June 29. Currently, 77.8% of King County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, and 70% of those 16 and over have received both doses. The 14 day lag from the immunization milestone is to let the second dose for those who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccination reach full efficacy.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee had previously announced that Washington state would move to full reopening on June 30 or earlier if the state could achieve 70% of residents with at least one dose. It appears the state will get close to the goal but not achieve it.

Despite the victory, the vaccination rate for Latinx, Black, Indigenous, and Pacific Islander populations lag behind their white counterparts. King County is still experiencing 2 COVID deaths a day on average. Black/African American and Latinx residents have the lowest vaccination rates among racial/ethnic groups in King County, with about 52% have completed their vaccination series compared to 66% for Whites, 74% for Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, 76% for American Indian/Alaskan Natives and 79% for Asian Americans.

New cases are down 90%, and the COVID Alpha variant first identified in the United Kingdom was responsible for a fourth wave of cases. Currently about 10% of those tested are testing positive for the Delta variant out of India. That variant is between 40% to 80% more contagious and is making people much sicker.

There have been signs of vaccination success, including closing the mass vaccination site at Lumen Field over the weekend. The county is offering free transportation to get vaccinated and is even offering free childcare for vaccination appointments and the recuperation period. Although side effects are mild, many have reported feeling fatigued, experiencing headaches, and having brain fog 24 to 48 hours after the second dose for a day or two. The one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine has been reported to have lesser side effects, but that evidence is anecdotal.

Vaccine hesitancy still is holding along political lines. Twenty-eight percent of Republicans and 20% of Independents have stated they will not get vaccinated. However, in that same survey 50% also reported they were taking a wait and see approach, and were somewhat likely or likely to get vaccinated in the future.

If you or a family member needs to get vaccinated in King County, you can visit the Getting Vaccinated King County page on the Public Health website.

Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

CDC recommends lifting Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine pause

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[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Lifting the pause on the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in the United States was recommended today by U.S. health regulators on Friday. A two-week review of data on over 8 million administered doses indicated that blood clot formations were extremely rare. A total of 15 significant adverse events were reported including 3 fatalities. The most recent reported fatality was a woman in Oregon, although investigators have not confirmed that her death was a result of the vaccine or other health issues.

Today’s recommendation opens the door for the one-dose J&J vaccine to be used again, once regulators confirm the CDC’s recommendation.

CDC official Sara Oliver told a panel today that approximately 26 people could suffer serious blood clots out of 10 million. However, she also reported that 1,400 deaths and 3,500 hospital admissions would also be prevented.

All of the people who experienced adverse events were born biologically as women and were from 18 to 54 years old. Some in the medical community are recommending a stronger warning for women about the extraordinarily rare risk. The panel rejected this suggestion in a second vote today.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has shown to be more effective on COVID-19 variants from Brazil, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. The vaccine also has fewer reported side effects than Moderna and Pfizer, particularly for people over 55 years of age.

Disclosure: The author of this story received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Breaking News, Health and Lifestyle, Local

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.