The Long Beach Health Department announced today that they will pause the use of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, effective immediately, pending further investigation into reports of blood clots as a result of the vaccine.
Blood clots are an extremely rare side effect of the vaccine, experienced by just six out of more than six million people who received the vaccine.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are both pausing the use of the vaccine out of an abundance of caution. Thus far, no Long Beach residents have experience clotting as a result of the vaccine, according to the Long Beach Health Department.
Appointments at the Long Beach Convention Center this week will not be affected, as there were no appointments for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Those attending mobile vaccine clinics will be offered Pfizer or Moderna vaccinations, neither of which have been associated with blood clotting.
The type of clotting associated with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is known as “cerebral venous sinus thrombosis” (CVST). Symptoms include headaches, abnormal vision, stroke symptoms and seizures.
People who received the Johnson and Johnson/Janssen vaccine more than one month ago have very little risk of experiencing CVST, according to a press release from the Long Beach Health Department.
Those who received their vaccine less than one month ago should contact their healthcare provider if they experience any of the following symptoms: severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath. These are different from the mild, flu-like symptoms in the days immediately following being vaccinated.
