Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Vaccine Rollout Disrupted With States Left Scrambling From J&J Curveball
CNBC: States Rush To Replace J&J Vaccine Appointments After FDA Recommends Pause
More than two dozen states took steps Tuesday to halt inoculations with Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine, shortly after the Food and Drug Administration recommended to pause its use after reports some women developed a rare blood clotting disorder. The states, like the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stressed that they were acting out of an abundance of caution, as more than 6.8 million doses of J&J’s vaccine have been injected and only six of the blood clotting cases have so far been reported. (Breuninger, 4/13)
CNN: States Scramble To Halt Johnson & Johnson Vaccinations After CDC And FDA Recommend Pause
States trying to fend off a new, dominant strain of coronavirus have a new challenge: having to stop Johnson & Johnson vaccinations for now. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration are recommending the country pause the use of Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine after six reported cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot. The six cases were among about 6.8 million Americans who have received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (Maxouris and Yan, 4/14)
Roll Call: States React To Short Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Pause
Federal officials say they expect the recommended pause of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to last only a few days and said it should not impact the United States' vaccination goals. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced early Tuesday morning that the agencies recommended a pause in Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccinations while the agencies reviewed safety data. (Cohen and Kopp, 4/13)
CNN: Here's The Impact The Johnson & Johnson Pause Might Have On The Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout
The pause in Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine rollout could have a significant impact on the US -- but not in the way you might think. Practically speaking, the effect is likely to be minimal. Even if the pause is prolonged, the US hasn't relied very heavily on J&J's vaccine, and the government said the US can meet its vaccination goals without the shot. The worry is that the J&J pause could deliver a serious psychological blow. (Cohen, 4/13)
The New York Times: Pause In Vaccinations Leads To Canceled Appointments Across States
The student union had been converted into a vaccination center. The doses had arrived on campus. The first appointments were minutes away. Then, at 7:23 a.m. on Tuesday, news of the pause in Johnson & Johnson vaccinations reached Youngstown State University. “We were ready to go,” said Shannon Tirone, an associate vice president at the university, in eastern Ohio, who instead started calling students to tell them they would not be able to get the vaccine after all. (Smith and Shear, 4/13)
ABC News: Colleges That Intended To Vaccinate Students With J&J Navigate The Temporary Pause
For colleges and universities, the one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 shot has been the simplest solution for quickly and fully vaccinating students who will soon disperse around the country in early May, otherwise risking both infection and transmission as they go. But when it was paused on Tuesday in order for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration to further investigate rare blood clots in a very small percentage of patients, those schools had to temporarily return to the drawing board. (Haslett, 4/14)
Modern Healthcare: Long-Term Care Providers Concerned By Effects Of J&J COVID-19 Vaccine Pause
The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living are calling for the federal government to prioritize the vaccination of long-term care residents and staff after federal regulators suggested temporarily halting use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine over concerns about blood clots. "Unfortunately, today's development essentially halts vaccinations in long term care, as the federal government was primarily allocating the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to nursing homes and assisted living communities," Dr. David Gifford, chief medical officer for AHCA/NCAL, said in a prepared statement. "Without swift action to replace these vaccines, we could see tragic consequences." (Christ, 4/13)
