VENTURA — Out of an abundance of caution, the County of Ventura is following the recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to pause the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine after reports that 6 women between the ages of 18 and 48 developed unusual types of blood clots 6 to 13 days after receiving the vaccine. This pause will last until the FDA and CDC complete their review, which is expected to take several days.
These reactions are extremely rare, as nearly 7,000,000 people have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the United States to date. People who received the vaccine in the last 3 weeks should look for any symptoms of these unusual clots, including severe headaches, abdominal or leg pain, and shortness of breath, and contact their medical provider if symptoms develop. People who don’t have a medical provider can either go to an Emergency Room or an Urgent Care or call 2-1-1 to connect with a healthcare provider or call 9-1-1 if emergency response is needed.
There have been no reports of serious adverse reactions in Ventura County from COVID-19 vaccines. 13,685 Johnson & Johnson doses have been administered in Ventura County.
Joint CDC and FDA Statement on Johnson & Johnson can be found at www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0413-JJ-vaccine.html.