RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia is ceasing the use of all Johnson & Johnson vaccines while the federal government investigates rare reports of potentially dangerous blood clots among recipients of the vaccine. Virginia State Vaccination Coordinator Dr. Danny Avula said in a statement Tuesday morning that the state was halting use of the vaccine until the federal investigation is complete.
The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts announced the following plan moving forward:
- RHHD had four upcoming small or mobile vaccination events scheduled to use Johnson & Johnson, which were expected to vaccinate fewer than 750 individuals. Everyone with an appointment at one of these clinics will instead be offered the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines; please arrive at your scheduled appointment time. If you have an appointment at one of these events and have questions, you can call the RHHD call center (804-205-3501).
- RHHD will also pause vaccinating homebound individuals and postpone a recently-launched initiative to provide walk-up vaccinations to seniors. Both of these programs relied on the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The pause on using Johnson & Johnson will not impact the more than 25,000 Pfizer and Moderna appointments scheduled during the month of April through the health district, nor the Pfizer and Moderna appointments scheduled through our partners.
Avula said the pause demonstrates that the systems in place to monitor safety are working. Federal officials said Tuesday they are investigating unusual clots in six women. More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S., the vast majority with no or mild side effects.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.