Washington state resumes distribution of Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Washington will resume its distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Saturday.

The decision comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration lifted the temporary pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

During a news briefing Friday, Jeff Duchin of Public Health — Seattle & King County, said based on the information presented, the "benefit risk ratio of this vaccine favors its continued use." 

"The benefits clearly outweigh the risks, but people do need to understand the risks and be able to make a choice about what vaccine they prefer and what vaccine is best for their particular situation," he said.

Early last week, Washington officials announced it was going to pause its distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after reports of people who received the vaccine developing "cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot," the CDC and FDA said.

All of the people reported at the time were women between the ages of 16 and 48, who experienced the symptom between six and 13 days after receiving the vaccine. More than 6.8 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses have been given so far in the U.S, making the occurrence of the side effect very rare.

"This action is being taken out of extreme caution and based on the appearance of a rare, very rare ... but a serious side effect, which includes blood clots which can be in different parts of the body including the brain," Secretary of Health Umair Shah said during a media availability last week after the pause was announced. 

At the time, the CDC and FDA said the recommended pause in administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was in part to "ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot."

Even before the pause, the state was expecting to receive only a few thousand doses of that vaccine, so the pause is not having a significant impact on the state's overall supply. The Department of Health also reached out to people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the state to make them aware of the pause and to let them know what symptoms they should monitor for.

Health officials in recent weeks have been encouraging everyone to get the vaccine as soon as they are eligible. Vaccines are one of the key tools to slow the spread of the virus and allow people to resume more normal activities.

As of April 15, every adult 16 and older in Washington became eligible to get the shot. The state is still struggling with having enough supply to meet the demand in some areas. State officials are continuing to urge people to be patient while looking for available slots to get the vaccine.

Everyone who wants the vaccine will be able to get it, officials have said, it just may take some time.