The Georgia Department of Health will again administer Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccinations after the CDC and the FDA both approved resumption of the vaccine.
As a precaution, women under 50 years old will be given additional information and risk details.
While the Georgia Department of Health acknowledged the lifting of the prohibition of J&J, it did not immediately offer a date of when specific cites will begin using that particular vaccine.
Following the guidance and recommendations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) paused J&J (Janssen) vaccinations in Georgia on April 13, 2021.
The FDA and CDC did so to review data involving six reported cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot occurring in women aged 18-48 about a week after vaccination. None of the six cases that prompted the cessation were vaccinated in Georgia.
More than 124,000 doses of J&J vaccine have been safely administered in Georgia.
Individuals who have received the J&J vaccine and develop severe headache, abdominal pain leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care providers. DPH urges all health care providers to be aware of the potential for these adverse events and plan for appropriate treatment required with these types of blood clots.
Vaccination remains one of our best tools for stopping the spread of COVID-19, along with basic prevention measures – wearing a mask, distancing from others, avoiding large gatherings and frequent hand washing.
DPH will continue to monitor the situation with J&J vaccines and provide additional information as it becomes available.
