NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed to WWL-TV Tuesday that they would be halting Johnson & Johnson vaccines from distribution until the CDC and FDA recommended otherwise, after the agencies announced they were urging a "pause" on the use of the single-shot vaccines.
In Louisiana, the news sent healthcare workers and state leaders scrambling.
“Today’s pause in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is out of an abundance of caution. This morning, I had a call with White House officials and other governors to discuss this issue as we work to safely get as many Louisianans 16 and older vaccinated as quickly and safely as possible. While I understand that this news may be concerning, I remain committed to working alongside public health experts to make sure people can get the answers they need to make an informed decision,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a statement.
At an Ochsner-led vaccination event in the French Quarter Tuesday, workers continued to set up. But even as they prepared the 15-minute waiting area for monitoring people after their vaccinations, it was unclear if it would actually be used.
The event, held at Dickie Brennan’s Tableau, was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. and was aimed at hospitality workers likely on the front lines of coronavirus exposure. But about an hour before it was set to start, the they got word of the "pause" on the J&J coronavirus vaccine.
Similar events throughout New Orleans and the rest of the state now face similar concerns.
“While this news is frustrating and concerning, we appreciate the FDA acting with abundant caution and transparency,” LDH's top administrator, Dr. Joseph Kanter, said.
The J&J shot was hailed as a game-changer from the two other available vaccines because it didn't require a follow-up appointment. Officials in Jefferson Parish had announced an upcoming plan to go door-to-door distributing shots, and other parishes were expected to unveil similar plans in the coming weeks as the nationwide supply of the newest vaccine became more widely available.
But Tuesday morning's announcement threw a wrench in that plan.
The U.S. health agencies said they were investigating six women who reported blot clotting issues in the days after receiving the vaccine. More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have already been distributed in the U.S.
It's still unclear if the blood clots are actually related to the vaccine, but European countries have had a slower vaccination rollout than the U.S. because of concerns over the AstraZeneca vaccine approved there causing blood clots.
Last week, European health officials announced a possible link between the Astrazeneca shots and a rare type of blood clot that appears to occur more in younger people.
The European Medicines Agency stressed that most people face a much higher risk from the coronavirus than the vaccine, but several countries have imposed limits on who can receive the vaccine.
In the U.S., the AstraZeneca vaccine is still being reviewed by the FDA for emergency use authorization.
The J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines are made with the same technology and use the same process to build immunity to the virus.
It's unclear how long the pause on the J&J vaccine will last, but Louisiana at least will likely continue to allow everybody 16 years or older to get vaccinated. The state moved into its current "open to everyone" phase of vaccination before the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was widely available, indicating that state health officials are confident they will have enough doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to distribute two doses to every person who wants one.
As for the event in the French Quarter, officials told WWL-TV that they were planning to shift gears, bringing in Pfizer vaccine doses and holding another event in May for the follow-up dose.
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