By Blake Haas
BLOOMINGTON – According to a Bloomington Doctor, the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is safe after a two-week pause due to reports of rare blood clots in a few women.
Late Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted their pause following the recommendation from the CDC’s advisory panel.
Dr. John Wieland, Medical Director of Acute Care Services at Carle BroMenn Medical Center, said the blood clots affected younger women.
“They (FDA and the CDC) have issued a caution in that group of people. But, what’s interesting statistically is that these clotting problems are present in much greater numbers in patients that actually get COVID. SO if you get the virus, if you contract the virus, you’re ten times more likely to be at risk for these clotting disorders. So given that, the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks.”
The McLean County Health Department will resume the single-dose vaccine after the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported the vaccine’s benefits to outweigh the potential risks.
“Keep in mind that we still have other vaccine options as well, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine,” Dr. Wieland told WJBC’s, Scott Miller. “So this really should give one maybe a little bit of hesitation if you are in one of those higher-risk groups, even though the numbers are extremely small. That complication is extremely severe and a high magnitude.
“I would continue to encourage vaccination, and if someone is at all hesitant on the J&J brand, then I would point them in the direction of the other vaccine.”
As of Monday, 10.9 million Illinoisans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 8.8 million Illinois are fully vaccinated.
In McLean County, approximately 116,532 doses have been administered in the county.
Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].
