DENVER (KDVR) — Many vaccine distributors in Colorado are canceling vaccine appointments after the FDA and CDC recommended a pause in use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine “out of an abundance of caution.”
The announcement comes nearly a week after the mass COVID-19 vaccination site at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park was closed when 11 people experienced adverse reactions following Johnson & Johnson vaccine shots. Centura Health decided at that point to pause use of the J&J vaccine at its three mass clinics, and on Monday announced it would stop using them at all clinics it operates.
“Right now, the risks of contracting COVID and dying from COVID are so much higher than the infinitesimally low risk of blood clot from Johnson & Johnson, that I think the justification for vaccination is there. That being said, there is no association even being reported with the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines,” Dr. Richard Zane from UCHealth said.
The City of Denver said it is not using any Johnson and Johnson vaccine at any of its clinics Tuesday.
FEMA said that Johnson and Johnson vaccine appointments at The Ranch Community Vaccination site in Loveland are canceled.
In Thornton, the city has switched all appointments from Johnson & Johnson to other vaccine types. The impact on this moving forward is still being determined.
CDPHE, which had recently started operating mobile vaccination clinics using a bus to deliver Johnson & Johnson vaccines to underserved communities, has announced that this program will also be put on hold.
Zane told FOX31 Morning News that UCHealth had not scheduled any appointments for the J&J vaccine because it had not yet been allocated any doses.
This story will be updated as we learn of more cancellations.