Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Local Disruptions From Johnson & Johnson Halt 'Minimal'
Axios: Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Pause Will Have Minimal Local Impact
The pause on administering Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine isn’t expected to have a huge impact on vaccine rollout across local communities. Like the country writ large, most localities have vaccinated the vast majority of their citizens with the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna shots, which have more than enough supply to fill the gaps caused by the J&J pause. (4/14)
Los Angeles Times: Will J&J Woes Complicate California COVID Vaccine Rollout?
At first glance, the timing couldn’t be worse: thousands of COVID-19 vaccines going on ice at the same time California is preparing to make them available for everyone 16 and older. But how difficult will Tuesday’s decision to pause use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — made on the recommendation of federal health officials following reports of six cases of serious blood clots nationwide — actually make it to get a shot in California? (Money, Lin II, Luna and Nelson, 4/14)
The Boston Globe: Baker Expects ‘Minimal Disruptions’ To Vaccine Appointments Despite Pause In Johnson & Johnson Shots
Seeking to reassure the public after an announced pause on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, Governor Charlie Baker said Wednesday that he doubted the issue would significantly hamper the state’s ongoing vaccination effort, which relies mainly on the Pfizer and Moderna shots. “The J&J supply in Massachusetts is currently a small portion of our supply,” Baker told reporters during a briefing from the vaccination site at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. “In the immediate future, we’re expecting minimal disruptions to schedule new appointments.” (Andersen, Ellement and Turner, 4/14)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly’s Biggest COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Will Get More Doses In Response To The J&J Pause
In a reversal prompted by the pause on one COVID-19 vaccine brand over safety concerns, federal authorities said Wednesday they will continue providing another type of vaccine to the Convention Center mass clinic that is distributing more doses than any other in Philadelphia. Losing, at least temporarily, thousands of Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses was a new complication as the nation races to vaccinate its population amid rising case counts and the risk of variants developing that could prove vaccine-resistant. (Laughlin, McDaniel and Steele, 4/15)
The Boston Globe: Lowell General Hospital And Community Groups Provide Vaccines For 1,000 People Despite Pause In Johnson & Johnson Shots
A coalition of community groups and Lowell General Hospital pivoted quickly away from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine Wednesday and pushed ahead with previously planned vaccines for 1,000 people using the Pfizer version of the key weapon in the battle against COVID-19. The hospital collects its vaccines through the state system and was planning to use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Wednesday for the 1,000 people who were not able, for a variety of reasons, to land an appointment using the online scheduling programs run by the state and some private companies, said Amy Hoey, chief operating officer of Lowell General. (Ellement and Turner, 4/14)
WMFE: Effort To Vaccinate Florida Prisoners Not Affected By J&J Pause
Florida’s new effort to vaccinate state prisoners is unaffected by the sudden pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine. The state had previously anticipated a reduction in J&J allocations and is using the two-dose Moderna vaccine instead. The one-dose J&J vaccine has already been administered in three privately run prisons. (Byrnes, 4/14)
Dallas Morning News: Dallas’ First In-Home COVID Vaccination Program To Start Next Week With Moderna Doses
The city’s first in-home COVID-19 vaccine program for homebound Dallas residents will now begin next week after it was delayed due to federal calls to pause distribution of the Johnson & Johnson shots. Members of Dallas Fire-Rescue and the Visiting Nurse Association of Dallas will give out Moderna vaccines to residents enrolled in the nonprofit’s Meals on Wheels program starting around 9 a.m. Monday, said Rocky Vaz, Dallas’ emergency management director. That brand requires two shots about four weeks apart in order to be effective. (Bailey Jr., 4/14)
