ABILENE, TX – The Texas Department of State Health Services on Saturday gave vaccine providers the OK to resume administering the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine after a pause on its use earlier this month.
The state’s instruction came a day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration ended their own 11-day pause, which was put in place when a handful of patients developed a rare blood clotting disorder after receiving the vaccine.
A CDC advisory committee determined the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine outweigh its risks. State Health Services said Saturday that Texas is lifting its own vaccine suspension, which began April 13, after the findings.
“The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is an important tool in our fight against COVID-19, and the scientific review over the last 11 days has affirmed its safety and effectiveness,” Dr. John Hellerstedt, State Health Services commissioner, said in a statement. “We know some Texans prefer the simplicity of a single-dose vaccine, and the ease of storing and handling this vaccine gives providers more flexibility. Resuming the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will prevent hospitalizations and save lives in Texas.”
Nationwide, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been attractive to some people and providers because it requires only a single dose and can be more easily stored. Providers have also been using the vaccine for hard-to-reach populations, including people experiencing homelessness, homebound residents and inmates.
The vaccine had been paused out of caution after six people who received it were found to have developed a rare but serious blood clot in combination with a low blood platelet count, a condition known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS. Upon further investigation, the CDC found that 15 out of nearly 8 million patients who received the vaccine had developed the condition, and three had died.
The CDC estimates that using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the U.S would prevent more than 2,200 intensive care admissions and 1,400 deaths in the next six months. A CDC staffer said by comparison, restarting use of the vaccine could cause about 24 cases of TTS nationwide.
CDC data also show that COVID-19 itself causes 200 hospitalizations and 30 deaths for every 1 millionAmericans. As of Saturday, 48,946 people in Texas had died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to state health data.
Federals officials said Thursday that they were investigating whether a Texas woman was hospitalized because of a similar adverse reaction to the vaccine. At the time, Imelda Garcia, associate commissioner for the Texas Department of State Health Services’ Division for Laboratory and Infectious Disease Services, said the case “seems similar to the profile of the others.”
TTS remains rare, Texas health officials said, but they warned that people should seek medical attention if they experience any of the following symptoms within three weeks of receiving the vaccine: shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, severe or persistent headaches or blurred vision, easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the site of the injection.
Nearly 500,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been administered in Texas before its use was paused. Pfizer and Moderna, which require two doses to be fully effective, remained authorized for distribution during the pause. TTS has not been connected to the two-dose vaccines.
Garcia also said Thursday that the state health agency is still pushing to vaccinate more Texans as demand slows across the state. All Americans 16 and older are currently qualified to be vaccinated.
Austin and Travis County health officials on Tuesday urged residents to keep getting vaccinated and maintaining practices to reduce the spread of COVID-19, as cases have been inching up and hospitalizations increasing for the first time in months.
About 10.4 million Texans have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and roughly 31% of eligible Texans are fully vaccinated.
In Travis County, about 50% of residents 16 and older have received at least one dose, and about 33% are fully vaccinated, according to State Health Services.
