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California to Distribute Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Again

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Update April 25, 2021 at 2 p.m.: Scientists working on behalf of western U.S. states, including California, have concluded a review of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine's safety, clearing it for use.

Immediately following release of the report to the public, Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said California "will immediately begin administering it again."

Bay Area health officers released a joint statement on Sunday supporting the recent guidance to lift the pause on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The region’s health officers also said they support adding a warning label and making available culturally and linguistically appropriate informational materials in an accessible reading level, per recommendation by the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.

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Bay Area counties are on the cusp of distributing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine again but are waiting for a final evaluation to do so.

On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted the recommended pause on the use of the J&J vaccine after a panel of experts voted to put it back in distribution. But Bay Area counties have yet to restart distribution of the single-dose shot.

The San Francisco COVID Command Center says it currently has 700 doses of the J&J vaccine. And while they agree with the expert panel’s “findings that the risks of developing the rare clotting disorder is extremely low” and that they believe the county is capable of continuing to safely administer the shot, San Francisco will wait for the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup to complete its evaluation of the shot’s safety.

Other counties are following suit, including San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa and Santa Clara.

The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup is made up of health experts from California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, brought together by the governors of those states.

The California Department of Public Health said Saturday that they anticipate the Workgroup’s approval of the J&J vaccine sometime over the weekend.

Bay Area health departments, and others across the United States, paused the use of the J&J vaccine earlier this month following reports of six people reporting blood clots amid millions of people vaccinated with J&J.

Above, San Francisco announces the pause of the J&J vaccine in mid-April.

Sonoma and Solano counties did not respond to KQED’s questions about restarting the J&J vaccine in time for publication.

“Alameda County and City of Berkeley will align with other Bay Area counties and will plan to resume the use of our modest, existing supply of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as quickly as possible,” the Alameda County Public Health Department said in a statement Friday.

In the statement, the county said they agree that “the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine far outweigh the risks” and re-upped the reminder that “the best vaccine is the first one offered to them.”

San Mateo County says it has 1,220 doses on hand. County officials noted that the J&J has been “used for all populations generally” but has been beneficial for use on “targeted populations,” including people who are homeless or homebound because it only requires one shot.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles County public health officials went ahead with telling vaccine providers they could resume administering Johnson & Johnson doses, if they give out an updated fact sheet about the vaccine to recipients.

Dr. Paul Simon, chief science officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, says the county has been working on developing additional materials to explain the rare blood clotting issue that prompted the J&J vaccine pause on April 13. Those materials will include signs and symptoms to be aware of, he says.

This article has been updated to reflect comments from Santa Clara County.

—KQED's Julie Chang, Associated Press

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