Following the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, public health officials have paused administering the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. 

Dallas County Health Department Public Information Officer Ann Cochran says the pause in the use of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine came out of an abundance of caution after reports of adverse reactions.

“The data on this is that approximately 6.85 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine have been administered in the U.S. so far and out of those nearly 7 million, there were six people who experienced a type of blood clot.”

Cochran tells Raccoon Valley Radio that all of the patients who experienced the adverse reaction were women who were aged 18 to 48 years old. Cochran says while the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is currently halted the other vaccines continue to be used. 

“This is not related in any way to either the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines that will continue to be in use.”

Cochran urges Dallas County residents to continue to seek out ways to get a vaccine from a provider.