REGION — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday that they recommend a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of an abundance of caution.

“New York State will follow the CDC and FDA recommendation and pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine statewide immediately today while these health and safety agencies evaluate next steps,” New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said on Tuesday.

According to the CDC and FDA, as of April 12, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine have been administered in the U.S.

CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine.

In these cases, a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia).

All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred six to 13 days after vaccination.

People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.

Sullivan County Public Health Director, Nancy McGraw, said the county used all of their allotted J&J vaccine doses last week and do not anticipate receiving more at this time.

“There are two other vaccines available - Moderna and Pfizer,” McGraw said. “We are not seeing adverse reactions with the other two vaccines, and to return to normalcy, a majority of people need to get the shot.”

Vaccination efforts continue in county

Sullivan County Public Health Services continues to hold vaccination clinics in an effort to get everyone in the county vaccinated. Since January, they have administered more than 8,200 vaccinations.

This week, an additional 500 first doses of Moderna were available to anyone age 18 and older, and walk-ins are now welcome.

“COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective,” McGraw said. “Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines, and these vaccines have undergone the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. This monitoring includes using both established and new safety monitoring systems to make sure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe.”

Public Health has been planning on how to reach vulnerable communities throughout the county. They will begin vaccinating in remote areas next week, including a clinic to be held on Thursday, April 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Duggan School in White Lake.

“We will prioritize resources for vaccination outreach based on our most vulnerable residents and population density throughout the county,” Public Health said in a statement.

In addition, they are working with Office for the Aging to identify homebound residents and bring the vaccine to them.

If you have no transportation or support and live in a remote part of the county and want to get a vaccine call the Emergency Community Assistance Center at 845-807-0925 and leave a message.