OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska joined other states in suspending the use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday amid an investigation into six cases in which women who received the drug later developed blood clots.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said last week that someone from Douglas County in their late 40s developed blood clots two weeks after receiving the J&J vaccine and was being treated at an Omaha hospital. Health officials said Monday that the patient remained in “guarded condition” at the Nebraska Medical Center. An HHS spokeswoman said she couldn’t disclose that patient’s condition Tuesday.
Federal health officials said Tuesday that they were investigating six cases in which women developed blood clots in the days after receiving the single-dose vaccine. One of the six died.
The six cases make up a tiny fraction of the more than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine that have been administered nationwide.
The J&J vaccine made up only a small part of the state’s immunization plan this week. Gov. Pete Ricketts said Monday that the state expected to receive 3,300 doses of the J&J vaccine this week after getting 27,600 doses last week. As of Tuesday morning, the J&J vaccine accounted for just 45,938 of the 1.1 million shots that have been administered in the state.
Nebraska was expecting to receive 90,250 doses of the other two coronavirus vaccines this week, and the state said it would direct local health officials to use one of those two shots instead of the J&J vaccine while it is being reviewed.
The state said Tuesday that it administered more than 116,000 doses of the vaccines last week, and that 30.6% of the state’s population over 16 has now been fully vaccinated for the virus.
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