Apr 14, 2021
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Pennsylvania is following the federal government’s recommendation and pausing use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine during an investigation into reports of unusual blood clots, but health officials suggested the impact on the state’s overall rollout will be relatively small.
The state Department of Health told vaccine providers on Tuesday to stop administering the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine until at least April 20. The temporary halt came the same day that Pennsylvania expanded eligibility for the COVID-19 shot to everyone aged 16 and older.
Several vaccine clinics were canceled as a result of the temporary suspension. A regional mass vaccination site at Penn State University’s Bryce Jordan Center, which opened Friday and was projected to give 600 doses of the J&J vaccine per day, was shuttered for at least a week.