Of the 2,300 Johnson and Johnson vaccines administered Thursday at the site, Wake County officials said a total of 18 patients responded to the vaccine. Four were taken to local hospitals and another fourteen had minor reactions. The other four are being evaluated and are expected to be released.
All reactions occurred during the 15-minute observation period after receiving any COVID-19 vaccine.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is just one shot, in contrast to the two-dose Modern and Pfizer vaccine.
Wake County health officials said reactions to the vaccines are “consistent with the known common side effects of receiving the vaccine.”
The most common side effects are arm pain, fatigue, body aches, and in some cases, low-grade fever.
“We know it can be alarming to hear or see people who have reactions to vaccination; that’s why we keep a close eye on the people we vaccinate in case of a reaction,” said Kim McDonald, Wake County’s public health medical director. ” we are currently working with NCDHHS and CDC to assess the situation to ensure that everyone is confident in the continued safety of our vaccine operations. “
An NCDHHS spokesman said in a statement: “We are working with the Wake County Public Health Team to investigate reactions to Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine at an event at today’s PNC Arena. For a caution, Wake County Health The department has stopped using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at this event. We have not received any reports of high increased reaction rates from any other providers, but we will continue to investigate. & Johnson and we are in contact with the federal government “.
UNC Health initially told ABC11 that it would continue to administer J&J vaccines, but later said it stopped administering the vaccines on Thursday “with great caution.”
“Over the past two days, UNC Health has delivered more than 2,200 doses of J&J to patients at our largest vaccine clinic, Chapel Hill’s Friday Center and our Hillsborough Hospital clinic. We will work closely with our partners , including Wake County and the state of North Carolina, to share any new information. The safety and health of our patients is our top priority, “a spokesman said.
As of 6 p.m., Duke Health plans to continue administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
“Duke Health received the Janssen (J&J) vaccine from the same batch number identified at the Wake County vaccine clinic, but the shipment was sent directly to Duke without intermediaries. No Duke patients have experienced serious incidents,” he said. wrote a Duke spokesman. “Minor side effects of the vaccine have been consistent with those reported by the manufacturer prior to authorization and remain within the expected rates.”
Operations at a mass vaccination clinic in Denver closed Wednesday after 11 people who received vaccines with the Johnson and Johnson dose also had “adverse reactions,” according to ABC-affiliated KMGH.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment originally said patients had symptoms such as nausea and dizziness. Nine of the patients were treated in situ with juice and water.
But on Thursday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said “there was no problem” with the vaccines.
“Maybe they were dehydrated or scared of needles,” Polis said at a news conference Thursday. Two people were taken to a hospital for observation.
Despite hospital transportation, the side effects reported by the 11 patients were “consistent with what can be expected” from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, COVID-19 incident commander Scott Bookman told CNN.
“We know it can be alarming to hear about transporting people to the hospital and we want to assure Colorado residents that the CDC and public health are closely monitoring all authorized vaccines continuously,” Bookman said. “Based on everything we know, it’s still true that the best vaccine you can get is the one you can get the soonest.”
Johnson & Johnson sent the following statement to ABC News:
“There is no higher priority than the safety and well-being of the people we care for and carefully review reports of adverse events in people receiving our medicines and vaccines. Any reports of people receiving our vaccine COVID- 19 and our assessment The report is shared with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other appropriate health authorities.This is part of the process established to report on the comprehensive surveillance programs of health authorities that monitor general safety. of medicines, as well as vaccines authorized to be used against this pandemic. We are collecting the information necessary, including that of the local vaccination center, to evaluate these reports. “
“It is relatively common to experience side effects from any of the three vaccines available in the United States: approximately 10% to 15% of volunteers in vaccine trials developed“ quite noticeable side effects, ”the former scientific adviser said late. of Operation Warp Speed, Moncef Slaoui last year.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nausea can also occur, as can the eleven patients experienced in Colorado, with headaches and swelling at the injection site.
Serious side effects, such as an allergic reaction, are much less common, occurring in about two to five per million people, said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of Baylor School of Medicine. on CNN.
Do you see breaking news? Tell us here.
CNN contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2021 WTVD-TV. All rights reserved.