KDHE Affirms Resumption Of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine In Kansas

By Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

April 27, 2021

TOPEKA — The state of Kansas moved to resume administration of Johnson & Johnson vaccine for COVID-19 after a pause allowing federal agencies to review safety issues after a small number of recipients in the United States developed a rare blood-clot disorder within weeks of getting the shot.

Gov. Laura Kelly said the Kansas Department of Health and Environment responded Monday to recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the federal Food and Drug Administration to proceed with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because benefits outweighed risks.

“Whether it’s the Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer or Moderna vaccine,” Kelly said, “I strongly encourage every Kansan to get vaccinated as soon as they can.”

The CDC and FDA announced April 13 a pause in use of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine pending review of data on risks. The suspension of the vaccine also allowed medical providers and clinicians to receive information on potential adverse reactions and treatments of the syndrome leading to blood clots and low platelet counts. Federal agencies plan to continue studying links between the vaccine and the clotting disorder.

“A review of all available data at this time shows … potential benefits outweigh its known and potential risks,” the CDC reported.

Kansas was expected to receive a new shipment of 1,700 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week. Other units of Johnson & Johnson vaccine were to have been placed in storage during the review.

At the point April 13 when KDHE announced a hold on Johnson & Johnson vaccine distribution in Kansas, six people in the United States were thought to have been afflicted with the disorder from among 7 million people who received the company’s vaccine. The CDC eventually accounted for 15 cases of the syndrome among approximately 8 million people receiving that vaccine. Three of the 15 people died, the CDC said.

The CDC’s updated advisory recommended individuals seek medical attention if suffering from severe headaches, blurred vision, chest pains, swollen legs or shortness of breath within a three-week period after getting a Johnson & Johnson vaccination.

“This adverse event is rare, occurring at a rate of about seven per 1 million vaccinated women between 18 and 49 years old,” the CDC report said. “For women 50 years and older and men of all ages, this adverse event is even more rare.”

In Kansas, KDHE said testing revealed 307,800 cases of COVID-19 since March 2020. Among that total, 4,970 people died and 10,040 were hospitalized after infected with the coronavirus. Forty-five of the state’s 105 counties in Kansas documented at least 1,000 cases of coronavirus in the past year.

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