April 14, 2021
Berrien County’s COVID-19 rates are currently about double what they were a month ago as the effort to get vaccines distributed continues. During a Wednesday update, Berrien County Health Officer Nicki Britten said a silver lining is that the rate is still lower than it was last fall. She also noted most of the new cases are with younger patient as the older population gets vaccinated. As for the governor’s request that schools voluntarily close, Britten said schools are relatively safe and not where most COVID cases originate. Spectrum Health Lakeland CEO Loren Hamel talked about hospitalizations.
April 13, 2021
The Berrien County Health Department and the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department have suspended use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The Berrien County Health Department has released the following:
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued a joint recommendation to pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen (J&J) vaccine.
Per these recommendations, the Berrien County Health Department will not be providing the J&J vaccine until further notice. The previously planned J&J clinic on Thursday, April 15th will be switched to use the Moderna vaccine with a second dose return date of Thursday, May 13
Berrien County Health Department puts a pause on J&J vaccines abc57.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from abc57.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Local health departments respond to pause in J&J COVID-19 vaccine
Cheryl Gerber/AP
and last updated 2021-04-13 15:57:32-04
WEST MICHIGAN â West Michigan s local health departments, along with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer s office, are responding to the FDA s recommendation to pause the use of Johnson & Johnson s COVID-19 vaccine after reports of rare blood clots.
Office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer:
âThe safety and health of Michiganders will always come first, Whitmer s office said in a statement. We will follow the FDAâs guidance to temporarily pause the Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of an abundance of caution, and adapt our vaccine strategy going forward until a further review of the data can be conducted. With this latest development, itâs more important than ever for the federal government to implement a targeted strategy that allocates additional Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to hotspots like Michigan to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. Governor Whi