The Halifax County Health Department has canceled a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination clinic which had been scheduled for Thursday in Halifax.
Vidant Health has also put its plans to administer the J&J vaccine on hold, it said in a statement today.
The county health department said it is following the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FDA on the J&J vaccine.
The organizations have said, “Our primary concern is the health and safety of all North Carolinians, which is why out of an abundance of caution, we are following the recommendations and are immediately suspending administration of Johnson & Johnson — Janssen — until we learn more. Recognition of these events in a timely manner is a sign of our system working.”
Vidant said it planned to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week at various locations but is pausing, per guidance from the federal government. “Vidant has enough Pfizer and Moderna allocation available to ensure we can accommodate vaccinations,” the health system said. “Importantly, Vidant has not seen any serious side effects or complications from any Johnson & Johnson doses given via our vaccination program.”
Vidant said vaccinations “offer our greatest hope in the fight against COVID-19 and we encourage people to receive their vaccine as soon as possible.”
The Associated Press reported today the United States government recommended a pause in using the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots.
The AP reported the CDC and the FDA announced that they were investigating unusual clots that occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. The acting FDA commissioner said she expected the pause to last a matter of days.
Meanwhile, the health department has the following vaccination clinics planned for anyone ages 18 and over who want to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
The health department will sponsor a first dose vaccine event Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Tillery Chapel Missionary Baptist Church at 40 Community Center Road in Tillery.
The event will begin promptly at 9 a.m. To register visit this link
On April 29 the health department will sponsor a second dose vaccine clinic at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church located at 4531 Highway 43 in Hollister. Time of the event is noon through 7 p.m.
To register visit this link
Appointments are preferred, however, walk-ups are accepted.
Other vaccinations clinics are as follows:
Rural Health Group at Halifax Medical Specialists located at 270 Smith Church Road will offer first dose Moderna vaccines to all groups every Monday and Tuesday during the month of April. The vaccination is available to anyone ages 18 and older. Registration is required to ensure adequate seating and vaccine supply. Register at this link
To schedule a first dose appointment with DrugCo for the Pfizer vaccination for anyone ages 16 years and older, visit this link
To schedule a second dose appointment with DrugCo for Monday-Wednesday for anyone ages 18 and over, visit this link
Daily update
Today the Halifax County Health Department added nine new positive cases to its data, which brings the cumulative total since March of last year to 5,344. There have been 107 related deaths.
In Northampton County the health department reported Monday there were 1,776 total positive cases of which 1,689 have recovered. There were 19 active cases. There have been 68 related deaths.
