The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation has resumed using the single-dose Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifted their pause of the vaccine on April 23, determining that the vaccine is effective against COVID-19, and that its benefits outweigh its risks.
On April 12, the two federal agencies recommended health care workers pause injecting the vaccine. At that time, nearly 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been administered. Six women under the age of 50 who received the vaccine developed a severe blood clot with low platelets; none of those cases occurred in Alaska.
The CDC recommends that women under the age of 50 should be aware of this possible, rare risk. The other two COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, have not been associated with blood clots.
YKHC is offering all three vaccines, and encourages everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19. To request a vaccine, visit this link: https://tinyurl.com/y7reeyst
