Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials announced Tuesday they’d be pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of an abundance of caution.
The move comes as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration released a joint statement Monday evening, reporting that six women between the ages of 18 and 48 developed unusual types of blood clots six to 13 days after receiving the vaccine.
As of Monday, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been administered, so the adverse events appear to be extremely rare, per the statement.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is set to meet Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance, and the county’s pause is expected to continue until the review is completed, which can take several days.
Vaccine providers in L.A. County are expected to contact patients about rescheduling or providing a new appointment for Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Residents who received the vaccine in the last three weeks should look for any symptoms of these unusual clots, including severe headaches, abdominal or leg pain, and shortness of breath, and should contact their medical provider if symptoms develop, while those who don’t have a medical provider can call 2-1-1 to connect with a health care provider.
The state released updated metrics Tuesday, in which the county’s seven-day average test positivity rate increased 0.1% to 1.5%, while its seven-day average case rate remained at 3.9 per 100,000 residents per day, and its adjusted case rate increased 0.1 to 3.2 per 100,000, based on results from the week ending April 3.
In order to move to the least restrictive, yellow tier, the county’s case rate must drop to less than two new cases per 100,000 and its test positivity must be less than 2%.
Public Health officials released the following updated COVID-19 statistics Tuesday:
New COVID-19 cases reported in L.A. County in the past 24 hours: 448
Total COVID-19 cases in L.A. County: 1,226,596
New deaths related to COVID-19 reported: 23
Total COVID-19 deaths in L.A. County: 23,498
Hospitalizations countywide: 471; 25% of which are in the ICU.
Hospitalizations at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital as of April 1: 4, with 1,191 discharged since the onset of the pandemic.
COVID-19 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley in the past 24 hours: 5, 1 of which came from the city of Santa Clarita.
Total COVID-19 cases in the SCV: 27,411
Total COVID-19 deaths in the SCV: 297
Percentage of vaccinated people (at least one dose) in the city of Santa Clarita as of April 4: 39%
Percentage of vaccinated people (at least one dose) in the SCV as of April 4: 37.2%
