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Dr. Kalduhn: Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine pause shows vaccine safety system works

Courtesy scdhec.gov

Health care providers in Michigan have been given the go-ahead to administer the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. That’s as Michigan faces some of the worst coronavirus hotspots in the country.

Michigan health officials lifted a pause on the J-and-J vaccine based on advice from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC determined getting more people vaccinated outweighs the very remote risk of developing a blood clot.

Doctor Joneigh Khaldun is Michigan’s chief medical executive. The state never stopped administering the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but Kahldun says being able to tap into the J-and-J stockpile is welcome news.

“Certainly the more people we can get vaccinated, the sooner we can end the pandemic.”

Khaldun says providers are ready to go because they were told keep the J-and-J vaccine secure and in cold storage awaiting the CDC’s recommendation.