J&J Pause May Change Some Pierce County Appointments

TACOMA — The Tacoma - Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) confirms they will join the rest of Washington state in pausing administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

The decision comes after six cases of severe blood clotting were linked to that particular vaccine. None of the cases were in Washington state.

Following a request from the Centers for Disease Control early Tuesday, Washington and several other states announced that they were pausing the vaccine's use until the issue could be further investigated.

Now, TPCHD is echoing that call, saying they will comply with the state's decision and stop offering the J&J vaccine to county residents. Anyone who already had an appointment with TPCHD for a shot of the J&J vaccine, will instead be receiving the Moderna vaccine, the department said.

Unlike the J&J vaccine, the Moderna vaccine requires two doses, meaning those patients will also now have to schedule a second appointment.

"Department of Health will continue to monitor the situation related to Johnson & Johnson vaccine and update on its use as the pause is reviewed and once it is lifted," writes Nigel Turner, the department's director of communicable diseases.

Though any loss of vaccines is difficult for Pierce County — especially after it was recently discovered that the county had been under-ordering vaccines because of a "glitch" in the state's system — it's fortunate the J&J vaccine does not represent a significant portion of the county's supply. TPCHD says, of the roughly 400,000 vaccine doses administered inside county limits, just 3,500 were J&J shots.

Statewide the ratio is similarly slim, representing just 149,000 out of more than 4 million vaccinations in Washington. In the past, state health leaders have frequently noted that Washington receives significantly less J&J vaccine than requested, an annoyance at the time, but one that has become a minor blessing, as the lack of J&J doses does not significantly interrupt the overall rollout.

TPCHD stresses that, despite this pause on the J&J vaccine, the other vaccines are safe. They argue that the speed at which they and other health agencies were able to adapt to this change should inspire confidence in the health care system.

"This action shows that the vaccination safety system is working to swiftly investigate the rarest of reactions in the COVID-19 vaccine effort," Turner said. "The pause will allow experts to review the cases and determine whether or not they are connected to the vaccine. It also ensures the healthcare provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events."

To make up for the loss, and to offset some of the damages the county will suffer when it re-enters Phase 2 on Friday, Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier has issued a letter to Gov. Inslee asking that the state increase the county's vaccine allotments by 15,000 doses a week.

Read more: Pierce Exec Asks Inslee To Expand County's Vaccine Allotment