Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties halt J&J vaccinations; substitutes Moderna vaccine

Lompoc Record, Calif.
·1 min read

Apr. 13—Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is halting the use of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, but officials said that will not result in cancelation of vaccination clinics scheduled for this week.

"Any clinics scheduled this week that originally planned to use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will not be canceled, but instead [will] use the Moderna vaccine," said Jackie Ruiz, spokeswoman for the Public Health Department.

Ruiz said the county is taking the action at the direction of the California Department of Public Health.

San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department is also halting the use of the J&J vaccine, said Michelle Shoresman, public information officer for that county.

She said about 2,200 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered at SLO County's mass vaccination clinics.

Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised health care providers to halt vaccinations using the J&J vaccine while they investigate six cases of people developing a rare blood clot after receiving the vaccine.

Although more than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered, six women between the ages of 18 and 48 developed a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis approximately six to 13 days after receiving the vaccine, Shoresman said.