MY EDMONDS NEWS Posted: April 24, 2021 32 Gov. Jay Inslee on Saturday announced that the Western States Workgroup that includes Washington state has authorized resuming the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The announcement comes after the FDA and CDC also authorized the restart of the J&J COVID vaccine. The Western States Workgroup, comprised of vaccine experts from Washington, California, Oregon and Nevada, has met to review the data and analysis to ensure the safety and efficacy of all FDA-authorized vaccines. The workgroup concluded that the J&J vaccine is safe and effective, the governor’s announcement said, and paired with patient and provider educational materials about potential risks, provides an important option to continue to reduce severe COVID-19 illness.