After being paused for roughly two weeks, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is available again in the State of Nebraska after receiving recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration to end the pause.
Distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was halted on April 13 after a Nebraska resident was diagnosed with a rare blood clot. The case was one of six cases of severe clotting out of the 6.8 million people who received the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine. According to a press release from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, “The safety and effectiveness of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been confirmed by the CDC and the FDA. Nebraska providers who have a current supply of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should resume using those doses, according to state officials.”
Officials with COVID-19 Unified Command advise women under 50 years old should be aware of the increased risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, noting that there are other vaccines available where the risk has not been seen.
Officials confirmed that the COVID variant B.1.351, also known as the South African variant, has been identified in the Panhandle, noting that the variants are more contagious and likely to cause severe illness and hospitalization.
“Getting vaccinated is critical to slowing the spread of COVID, especially with the presence of variants in the Panhandle,” said Panhandle Public Health District Director Kim Engel.
According to a press release from the DHHS, the “B.1.351 appears more contagious than standard SARS-CoV-2 strains. It is expected that vaccinations will remain effective, although some bench studies show higher levels of antibodies are required to neutralize B.1.351 than the level of antibodies required to neutralize standard SARS-CoV-2 strains.”
People 18 and older are encouraged to register to receive the vaccine at vaccinate.ne.gov. Then, for residents in Box Butte County or Grant County, they may make an appointment to receive the vaccine at either https://tinyurl.com/25mwaapu or at safeway.com. There is no charge for the vaccine.
Teens ages 16 and 17 may now register to receive the vaccine at vaccinate.ne.gov
Officials note that people who are fully vaccinated need not quarantine due to close contact. Anyone who has lost their vaccine card may request a new one at https://tinyurl.com/2zh7uhhu.
Since last week, officials have confirmed 31 more cases of COVID in the Panhandle: four in Box Butte County; three in Cheyenne County; four in Dawes County; one in Deuel County; one in Garden County; one in Kimball County; two in Morrill County; 13 in Scotts Bluff County; and two in Sheridan County.
As of Monday, 25,699 Panhandle residents have received the vaccine. In Box Butte County, there have been a total of 931 cases of COVID since the outbreak began, nine of which have resulted in death. Only 10 of the cases have occurred in the past 14 days.