MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced Tuesday it is instructing vaccine providers to stop administering the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine due to a federal review of adverse side effects reported. 


What You Need To Know

  • The DHS is instructing vaccine providers to stop administering the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

  • Six cases of a rare type of blood clot have been reported in the U.S. out of 6.8 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses given

  • The DHS said vaccine providers should continue to hold the vaccine at proper storage and continue timely reporting of any adverse events

  • Roughly 96% of the doses administered in the state have been Pfizer and Moderna

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement Tuesday morning saying six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis have been reported in the U.S. out of 6.8 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses given.

“We are pausing administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of an abundance of caution. At this time, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” said DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake. “Vaccine providers should not administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at this time, and should hold on to the vaccine until federal review has been completed.”

The DHS said vaccine providers should continue to hold the vaccine at proper storage and continue timely reporting of any adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). This pause will allow the CDC to determine if there are any further cases of this clotting disorder and to provide health care providers with guidance on how to treat this rare condition.

“There is still a lot to learn about how the vaccine might cause the problems that occurred in the six patients, which included blood clots around the brain and low platelets, but they do appear to be very rare,” said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer for DHS. “For residents who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, be in contact with your health care provider if you have a severe headache or new vision problems during the first two weeks after receiving the vaccine.”

According to the DHS, those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should monitor for the following symptoms three weeks after their vaccination: severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath. Symptoms associated with these severe events have occurred six to 13 days after vaccine receipt. Contact your health care provider and use the v-safe program to report your symptoms.

The health department encourages everyone eligible to get the vaccine to continue with their vaccinations and said 96% of the doses administered in the state have been Pfizer and Moderna.

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