Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
States Cautiously Re-Roll Out J&J Vaccines Amid More Possible Clot Cases
Fox News: 2 New Clot Cases In Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients Reported, CDC Investigating
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating two new cases of a rare, severe blood clot that occurred alongside low platelets in Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine recipients, bringing the total number of instances to 17. A CDC spokesperson told Fox News that one case of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) under investigation occurred in a male vaccine recipient, and the other in a female, both under age 60. It was not clear if the male patient was the same individual in California who is receiving treatment at the University of California San Francisco medical center. (Hein, 4/27)
In other news about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine —
WUSF Public Media: Demand For J&J Vaccine On Par With Pfizer At Most Florida FEMA Sites
Faced with a choice between the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines, Floridians who visited the state's federally supported sites on Monday were about evenly split. It was the second day the FEMA sites offered the J&J vaccine since the federal government lifted a pause, put in place to determine risk of a rare blood clot. All this week, patients can still choose to get the one-and-done J&J shot or get a first dose of Pfizer and return for a second shot in three weeks. (Colombini, 4/27)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Louisiana Vaccine Providers Slowly Bring Back J&J Vaccine After CDC Lifts 'Pause'
After the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was entered back into use by the Louisiana Department of Health on Saturday, local providers have now begun ramping up plans to start distributing it. Ochsner Health, the state’s largest hospital system, has about 13,500 doses of the J&J vaccine, according to Dr. Sandra Kemmerly, an infectious disease specialist. They’ll start giving it out next week. LCMC Health has not yet started giving out the J&J vaccine, but plans to put it back into use during the first half of May, said Dr. Jeffrey Elder, an emergency medicine physician who oversees the LCMC mass vaccination effort at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. (Woodruff, 4/27)
The Boston Globe: R.I. Vaccine Subcommittee Was ‘Blindsided’ By News Of State Lifting Pause On Johnson & Johnson Shot
When Rhode Island state health officials announced late Monday that they would resume administering the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, members of the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Subcommittee were “blindsided by the news.” “I thought we would be talking about it” during Tuesday morning’s scheduled biweekly meeting, said Dr. Karen Tashima, director of clinical trials at the Immunology Center at Lifespan Corporation, and member of the subcommittee. Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, a physician and subcommittee member, said members were surprised the news came out the night before, without input from the subcommittee. (Gagosz, 4/27)
Capital & Main: California Faces Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Dilemma
From Gov. Gavin Newsom on down, there’s general agreement about the status of COVID-19 vaccination efforts in California. Unless the state’s most vulnerable populations are inoculated at rates that fit their risk profiles, the thinking holds, broad attempts at stamping out the virus are going to fall short. Some of the state’s own numbers suggest the scope of that challenge. Through April 21, the most recent day of data available, 30.1% of California’s doses of vaccine had been administered in what the state says are communities that already enjoy the healthiest living conditions. Among communities with the least healthy conditions, only 21% of the state’s supply has been administered. (Kreidler, 4/27)
