Charlotte health providers resume using Johnson & Johnson vaccine amid hesitancy concerns
Charlotte-area health-care providers began using the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine once again Tuesday after a nearly two-week stop.
Both Mecklenburg County Public Health and its vaccination partner, StarMed Healthcare have resumed administering the vaccine.
And both of Charlotte’s major hospital systems, Atrium Health and Novant Health will begin using Johnson & Johnson vaccines again as well, according to hospital system officials.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday lifted the temporary pause put on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The pause was recommended after six women developed rare blood clots after vaccination — out of more than 6.8 million people who got the Johnson & Johnson shot nationwide. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine label will be updated with a warning about the blood clot risks.
Mecklenburg County Public Health will also begin offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to homebound patients again. The health department will distribute printed fact sheets about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, including information on the rare risk, to anyone receiving the vaccine, according to the department.
StarMed is offering walk-in spots for Johnson & Johnson vaccines, along with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, at its Sheraton vaccine location at 3315 Scott Futrell Drive.
Charlotte’s largest hospital system, Atrium Health did not release a timeline for using the vaccine.
“During a brief pause, the CDC and FDA weighed the risks of resuming use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the risks of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths should they continue to restrict the use of this vaccine,” Atrium Health said in a statement. “Ultimately, the decision was made that the greater protection to our community is provided by resuming use of the J&J vaccine.”
The pause was intended to make sure providers know how to treat the rare condition — which requires a different treatment than other blood clots, Atrium Health infectious disease expert Dr. Katie Passaretti told reporters Tuesday.
“Rare side effects of the vaccines continues to be exceedingly low and the benefits are much higher,” she said.
Novant Health will begin administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine starting Thursday, hospital officials said Wednesday. The one-shot vaccine will be available at the hospital system’s east Mecklenburg location at 6070 East Independence Boulevard.
Novant Health’s goal is to offer the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at each event that offers the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, infectious disease expert Dr. David Priest told reporters Tuesday. That way, anyone still uncomfortable with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can opt to take a different vaccine.
The Washington Post reported Monday that a poll of unvaccinated people found 73% said they were not comfortable taking the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Unlike the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 shots, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine only requires one injection. That could help increase access to vaccines and make getting the COVID-19 vaccines more convenient, as experts worry vaccination rates could slow due to vaccine hesitancy.
More than five million people, or nearly 8% of those who were given a first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, have missed their second doses, the CDC reported Monday.
As of Tuesday, 36.3% of Mecklenburg County residents are at least partially vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to state Department of Health and Human Services. And 23.8% of county residents are fully vaccinated.
But the county vaccination rate still lags behind North Carolina’s rate overall.
Statewide, 38.4% of NC residents are at least partially vaccinated and 30.5% of state residents are fully vaccinated as of Tuesday.
This story was originally published April 27, 2021 at 1:43 PM.
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