Hold on J&J vaccine over, but when shots resume or if people will get them still unclear

Now that Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine has received a vote of confidence from health officials, providers need to line up people willing to get the shot.

Posted 11:08 p.m. Apr 23, 2021 — Updated 3:14 a.m. Apr 24, 2021

Keely Arthur

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Kirsten Gutierrez, WRAL reporters

RALEIGH, N.C. — Now that Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine has received a vote of confidence from health officials, providers need to line up people willing to get the shot.

Within two hours of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel voting Friday in favor of resuming use of the vaccine, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration lifted the hold on the vaccine.

Federal health officials halted use of the vaccine last week amid reports that a handful of women had developed a blood-clotting disorder after getting their shots.

Shortly before the "pause," North Carolina received 150,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine – its largest single allotment of any vaccine to date. Most of those likely remain in providers' refrigerators across the state.

Wake County officials, for example, said they have about 7,900 doses in storage, while Johnston County has nearly 1,300 and Cumberland County has about 900.

Ritesh Patel, a pharmacist in Johnston County, said he has 5,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine ready to go once the FDA approves using it again.

The vaccine can stay in a refrigerator until its expiration date, unlike the other two approved vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna, which must be used fairly quickly after they're removed from cold storage.

"I feel like there’s still people who would be happy to get that one shot," Patel said of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

But that additional vaccine supply could potentially become available as the state sees demand for shots lag.

"One hundred percent, we need more arms to be ready," Patel said.

More community outreach, especially to rural areas, is needed to get more people vaccinated, he said.

"[We need] the community link, so going to pastors for the local churches," he said. "Today, we did the Mexican consulate, and I know they’ve had some other clinics there as well, but it’s in the moment. People are there for something else, and then they can get the vaccine the same day."

Health officials in several area counties contacted by WRAL News, including Orange, Franklin, Nash and Wayne, said they have never received any Johnson & Johnson doses. Halifax County Health Director Bruce Robistow said he wants to make the vaccine available in his county and will meet with local officials next week about how to proceed.

Joe Lyons is currently enrolled in the Johnson & Johnson clinical trial and says he fully supports the FDA and CDC's decision.

"It’s really great news that we’re resuming with it," Lyons said, adding that he wasn't worried when the pause occurred. "There was no concern. Again, I keep coming back to the numbers. To me, that’s not enough to really cause concern,” he said.

UNC Health infectious disease expert Dr. David Wohl says that the issues with the vaccine shouldn't cause concern moving forward.

“It’s a safe vaccine, millions of people have gotten this vaccine and there are now 15 cases and there may be a handful more, but this is a very, very rare outcome," Wohl explained.

Wohl suggests women between the ages of 18 and 50 should still do their homework before getting the J&J shot.

“I think all of us recognize the cases have been in women, so women in particular do have to learn about this and we have to counsel them effectively,” he said.

The Halifax County Health Department has 60 doses of the J&J vaccine on the shelf and they are eager to resume use for several reasons.

“We’ve also used Johnson & Johnson vaccine to make sure that were able to take care of our migrant workers, those in our county jail, and we like using it for them because we don’t know where they’re going to be in 28 days. So being able to give that single-dose vaccine is very helpful for those populations," said Bruce Robistow, Halifax Co. Health Director.

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