After a short pause of giving out doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, some metro Atlanta pharmacists are unsure if people will still want to get the shot.
Friday, the CDC and the FDA lifted the temporary suspension of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after women began reporting blood clots after receiving the vaccine. In all, 15 patients were affected and three of them died. Eight million doses of the vaccine have been administered nationwide.
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Some pharmacists in the metro Atlanta area, however, are not sure those who had appointments to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine before the pause will still come to get it.
Pharmacist Ira Katz told Channel 2′s Tom Regan that he had hundreds of appointments for the one-dose shot, but he’s not quite sure how many will keep their appointment after trust of the vaccine took a hit.
“I still have a lot of people, I’m calling them, or they’re calling me and they’re ready to get the vaccine, so they are not hesitant. I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who are going to be hesitant,” said Katz.
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While Katz tells Regan that he believes the vaccine is safe, anyone who gets it will receive a warning from the FDA.
“Women who are 16 to 18 and up to age 50, just need to be aware of blood clots and certainly to let their primary care physician know they got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” said Katz.
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Some metro Atlanta women are also having second thoughts before getting the one-and-done vaccine.
“I don’t know if I will get the Johnson & Johnson, but I will get a vaccine,” said resident Marjean Selby.
“Because of what happened with the blood clots, I’m going with the two versus the one…to play it safe,” said another resident, Erika Johnson.
Georgia has received about 221 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and has given out about half of them. Katz says if the demand is strong, he will order 100 more doses this week.
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