Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine paused, health system’s vaccinations with Pfizer, Moderna continue

After COVID-19 nearly claimed her life last year, Hummelstown resident Tamika Washington overcame her initial hesitancy about the vaccine and is advising everyone she knows to get it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have recommended that use of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine be paused, pending reviews of six cases of severe blood clots in women ages 18 to 48 who had received the vaccine. On April 13—the same day the CDC and FDA announced their actions — Penn State Health also paused distribution of that vaccine and will await further guidance from government officials.

To date, the health system has administered 20 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

Penn State Health continues to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines at its dedicated vaccination sites in Berks, Cumberland and Dauphin counties. Beginning Thursday, April 15, individuals ages 16- and 17-years-old who wish to be vaccinated can schedule appointments for the Pfizer vaccine — the only COVID-19 vaccine to receive emergency use authorization for this age group —at the health system’s dedicated vaccination sites in Berks and Dauphin counties.

Vaccination remains the best way to prevent the virus that causes COVID-19, and Penn State Health continues its efforts to vaccinate all individuals ages 16 and older who wish to receive the vaccine.

See this news article and video from Penn State’s Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics for more insight.

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