Triangle providers ease J&J vaccine back into the mix after brief pause

On Saturday, the demand for the J&J vaccine was still high at a clinic at UNC Family Medicine on Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh.

Posted 8:07 p.m. Apr 10, 2021 — Updated 11:02 p.m. Apr 10, 2021

Adam Owens

, WRAL Anchor/Reporter

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Johnson & Johnson brand of the COVID-19 vaccine has become popular with the public due to being a single-dose shot.

However, some local vaccine providers postponed their use of the J&J vaccine after people experienced adverse reactions on Thursday.

On Saturday, the demand for the J&J vaccine was still high at a clinic at UNC Family Medicine on Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh.

"Our 200 appointments filled up within about three days," said Leslie Hopkins, the clinic administrator.

Wake County reported nearly 20 adverse reactions after the J&J shot from a very small percentage of those who got the shot at a clinic Thursday. Symptoms included nausea, dizziness and fainting from 18 of the more than 2,300 people who got the vaccine at PNC Arena. Wake County will continue using the shot on Sunday.

COVID-19 vaccine clinics put J&J vaccine on hold after adverse reactions; CDC finds no safety issue with vaccine

Hopkins said they're asking more questions to people receiving the vaccine, such as if they've fainted or passed out when having blood drawn in the past. Those who had trouble after their shots had previous cases where they passed out, according to Hopkins.

"We have had a couple of questions from patients today," Hopkins noted.

On Friday, UNC Health issued a statement backing up their stance that the J&J vaccine is safe.

'We believe the J&J vaccine is safe': UNC Health stands by vaccine clinics with single-dose shot

"We found there was nothing wrong with the vaccine itself," Hopkins said. "It was just an incident of patients who had previous passing out situations."

Page Swanson was among the first to get the J&J vaccine from UNC Health after they said they would temporarily stop using the shot. That announcement came as he was making his appointment.

"That news came out the same day," Swanson said. "I waited for the reports to come out about what happened."

The reactions in Raleigh aren't totally isolated. In Georgia, medical officials are temporarily pausing on J&J after eight people experienced adverse reactions at one site on Wednesday. Similar issues have been reported out of Colorado and Iowa.

The CDC says there is no safety issue with the J&J vaccine.

The latest information from the state shows 28.4% of adults in North Carolina are fully vaccinated. You can schedule a vaccination for yourself at yourshot.org or by calling (984) 215-5485.

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