Out of an abundance of caution, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has asked all of the state’s vaccine providers to immediately pause administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, in accordance with the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this morning.

Six women ages 18 to 48 experienced a rare and severe blood clot known as Cerebral Venous Sinus Thombosis within one to three weeks of getting a Johnson & Johnson vaccination.

This appears to be extremely rare, with just six cases reported out of 6.8 million Johnson & Johnson vaccinations administered. This is the type of rare event that the national Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) can identify so that they can be investigated further.

If you’ve received a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, you should know that the symptoms in all these cases appeared within six to 13 days. OHA recommends that anyone who has already been vaccinated should keep an eye out for symptoms 21 days after vaccination.

Symptoms to look for include severe headache, leg pain, shortness of breath and abdominal pain. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should see their healthcare provider or seek emergency care.

We continue to believe the existing COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and urge everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated.

The Washington Department of Health also announced it will pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine statewide starting immediately, following the guidance of the FDA/CDC. Use of that vaccine will be put on hold until we receive further recommendations from our federal partners about how best to move forward. Read the full statement here.

Becky Mits

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