Illinois, Chicago and Cook County pause distribution of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after blood clotting cases

The Illinois Department of Public Health, Cook County Health and the Chicago Department of Health have paused distributing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following recommendations from the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after reports of six people experiencing blood clots about two weeks after vaccination.

The CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot that people have experienced after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to a statement from both federal agencies.

The blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets in these cases, the federal agencies said. All six cases were women between the ages of 18 and 48, and they all started experiencing symptoms six to 13 days after vaccination.

Those who scheduled an appointment at a Cook County Health location for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will receive Moderna or Pfizer instead, according to a statement from the health department. Those who do not want the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine should call 833-308-1988 to cancel or reschedule their appointment.

The health department’s next appointment release, scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday, will not include appointments for Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

The health department has asked all of its partners to pause using the vaccine as well.

Those who were given the Johnson & Johnson vaccine who are experiencing sever headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after receiving the shot should contact their health care provider, the health department said.

According to CDC data, Illinois has administered 270,790 Johnson and Johnson doses, or to 2.1% of the state’s population. Moderna and Pfizer make up the vast majority of doses on hand in the State of Illinois, state officials said in a statement Tuesday. This week, the state’s allocation of J&J was 17,000 doses, the state said. For the week of April 18, 2021, the expected allocation for the State is 483,720 total doses. Of that total allocation, 5,800 doses were expected to be J&J.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine March 24 at an Illinois National Guard mass vaccination site at the state fairgrounds in Springfield.

The state has notified all providers to discontinue use of the vaccine and is “strongly advising” them to use the two-shot Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead, the Department of Public Health said Tuesday.

Pritzker in recent weeks has hailed the arrival of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine as a key part of the state’s effort to vaccinate people as quickly as possible to stay ahead of the faster spreading variants of COVID-19 that are circulating in Illinois.

As the manufacturer has run into supply problems, however, Pritzker has downplayed its importance at the current stage of the vaccination effort. But just Monday, the state announced that it was deploying “rapid response” teams equipped with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to counties in north-central Illinois where the virus is surging and putting a strain on intensive care units.

A statement from the Chicago of Chicago on Tuesday morning read: “Vaccine safety is always our top priority. In accordance with a recommendation from the CDC and FDA, the City of Chicago has paused administering the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine while federal health officials complete a review. We are working closely with our partners at the federal and local level to determine how this impacts the city’s vaccine operations.. ... This recommendation does not affect Pfizer or Moderna vaccine in any way. Vaccination remains critical to protect Chicagoans from COVID-19 and we will share more information as we receive it.”

Johnson and Johnson vaccines have been a key part of the city’s strategy to increase doses. Just last week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot took vice president Kamala Harris on a tour of the Chicago Federation of Labor’s vaccine site at the International Union of Operating Engineers union hall, where they watched a window washer get his Johnson and Johnson shot.

The city on Sunday had announced a plan to switch to the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the United Center site beginning next week.

Starting April 20, those with walk-in appointments were to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which the Chicago Department of Public Health has reported to be in “high demand from residents,” according to a news release from Lightfoot’s office.

For those who received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the United Center, the site’s drive-thru will administer the second dose.

Officials with the FDA and the CDC in a press call on Tuesday morning advised people who have gotten the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the last two weeks to seek medical treatment if they experience severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath.

These symptoms, though, are different than the mild flu-like symptoms that many have felt after receiving one of the shots, officials said.

People who received the vaccine a month or more ago face very low risk.

Janet Woodcock, acting Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, stressed that the blood clots “appear to be very rare,” but said that safety is the agency’s top priority.

The officials said they are reaching out to state and local health officials, pharmacies and physicians who have been giving the vaccines to make sure they know about the pause, and know how to evaluate people for symptoms. They encourage people to keep appointments of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and the agencies’ partners will work with people to reschedule appointments for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

“While these events are very rare, we are recommending a pause in order to prepare the health care system to recognize and treat patients appropriately,” said Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC.

Of the six women who suffered from the blood clots, one has died and another is in critical condition, officials said.

Check back for updated information.

pfry@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @paigexfry

©2021 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.