The pause in the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine administration will allow time to investigate six blood clot cases, according to a Health and Human Services official.
Dr. Catherine Satterwhite, regional health administrator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said the pause in the COVID-19 vaccine process for Johnson and Johnson also will help medical professionals learn about the symptoms and how to treat the blood clots in the rare event they occur. Dr. Satterwhite discussed the vaccine and COVID-19 during the Wednesday morning news conference at the University of Kansas Health System.
It may be another week to 10 days before there is any CDC decision on the vaccine, as the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met Wednesday afternoon and decided it needed more time to investigate the cases. It will meet again after a week or 10 days. The blood clot cases were very rare, about six reported cases out of almost 7 million Johnson and Johnson vaccines given nationally.
Dr. Satterwhite said this is a pause, and that the vaccine could be cleared in the future for distribution. She said the federal government is asking the states to hold onto the Johnson and Johnson vaccines while they go through this process.
The regional four-state area is doing a great job so far in vaccinating residents, but there are still challenges in the future, according to Dr. Satterwhite. Many of those who wanted the COVID-19 vaccine now have received it, and the challenge is with those who may have some hesitancy in getting the vaccine.
The Health and Human Services Department and the CDC are using “shared stories,” where trusted people such as doctors will help convince people about the vaccines’ safety. Dr. Satterwhite said she believes it’s a priority to get vaccines to doctors’ offices as soon as possible.
The safety and effectiveness of vaccines will continue to be evaluated in trials for years, as they are currently approved for emergency use, she said.
Dr. Satterwhite also urged people to keep wearing masks, get their vaccinations as soon as possible and to follow updated CDC recommendations.
According to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System, the pause will help with transparency and trust. Without the pause there would be more reluctance to accept vaccines, he said.
He also said the vaccine development was not rushed. Some of the groundwork for the vaccines was laid in developing earlier vaccines for viruses such as SARS that died out. COVID-19, however, didn’t die out, and money and resources was provided worldwide to expedite the vaccine’s development. There were tens of thousands of people in the vaccine trials, more than other trials, and they weren’t rushed, he said.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said he is concerned the vaccine pause might have an effect on vaccine hesitancy. He said the U.S. does a good job of surveillance of vaccines, and the FDA is the gold standard around the world for drug approval, safety and efficacy.
What people are seeing now are the protections in action to make sure the vaccines are safe, he said.
He also noted that a side effect of one in a million is a much lower side effect than various everyday drugs in the medicine cabinet, such as those for headaches.
Dr. Satterwhite said that getting the vaccine to a setting where people can talk to doctors and other medical professionals about it is a priority. The federal retail pharmacy program allows access to large numbers of the population where people live, she said. The community health centers that receive vaccines are also great, as people can have conversations with people they trust, she said.
The next step will be vaccines for emergency room access and primary care providers, she said. Moderna can be really well suited for those settings as well, she said. Recently, the amount of time that Moderna is allowed to be out of the freezer has been expanded, according to the doctors.
“We have to facilitate those conversations,” Dr. Satterwhite said about communicating with the vaccine-hesitant. “The No. 1 predictors if people get the vaccine is if their trusted medical adviser recommends it for them.”
Dr. Stites said it is important for people to get their COVID-19 vaccinations and also important for people to continue to wear masks and socially distance.
“Don’t be in a situation where you haven’t taken advantage of all the things you need to do to win the game,” Dr. Stites said.
KU Health System has given Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and currently has vaccines available by appointment; visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine or call 913-588-1227 for information. Those who are already KU Health System patients may use the MyChart app.
Walk-in vaccinations available
Free COVID-19 vaccinations will be available from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, April 15, at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th, (18th and Ridge), Kansas City, Kansas; the former Kmart building, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas; and at the former Best Buy location, 10500 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas.
Vaccinations are open to anyone older than 16 who is a resident of Wyandotte County.
Residents may walk in to the Health Department clinics or may make an appointment. All clinics are open Tuesday to Friday, and the Armory location also is scheduled to be open on Saturday, April 17. Two of the clinics will be open on Mondays.
Go to WycoVaccines.org to schedule an appointment online, or call 3-1-1. Walk-ins also are available. The vaccination schedule for the rest of the month also is available at WycoVaccines.org.
Other sites available for vaccinations
The University of Kansas Health System also has vaccinations for Wyandotte and Johnson county residents. Any residents of Kansas can call to get an appointment whether they are patients or not at the health system.
KU Health System offers vaccinations seven days a week at different locations. Appointments are required. Current patients may use MyChart to make an appointment. Others may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine to see if vaccines are available.
There are also pharmacies giving COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacy at 76th and State Avenue, and 81st and State Avenue (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/), and Medicine Shoppe pharmacy at 65th and Parallel by appointment when available (see https://www.facebook.com/The-Medicine-Shoppe-Kansas-City-281548241870522). CVS pharmacy also has announced that it will offer COVID-19 vaccines at one of its stores in Kansas City, Kansas. Registration is at CVS.com.
COVID-19 case numbers reported
The University of Kansas Health System reported 13 active COVID-19 patients on Wednesday morning, the same number as Tuesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Of the 13 patients, five were in the intensive care unit, no change from Tuesday. Two patients were on a ventilator, no change since Tuesday. There were another seven COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized but are out of the acute infection phase, a decrease of five from Tuesday. There is a total 20 patients, a decrease of five from Tuesday.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 12 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, April 14, for a cumulative 18,245 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 290 deaths reported, an increase of two. There were 23.9 percent of Wyandotte County residents, or 39,613 persons, who had completed at least one dose of vaccination as of April 14, according to the Health Department’s vaccine page. There were 14.3 percent of Wyandotte County residents who have completed their full vaccinations, or 23,722 persons.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 167,593 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 64. The number of cumulative deaths was 2,369.
The state of Kansas reported 305,320 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, April 14, an increase of 601 cases since Monday. There were a total cumulative 4,944 deaths reported statewide.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Wednesday night reported 31,420,418 cases in the United States, with 564,388 total deaths reported nationwide. According to Johns Hopkins figures, the states with highest increases were Michigan, 10,277 new cases; Florida, 9,068; Pennsylvania, 6,017; Texas, 5,188; and New York, 5,023. The countries with the largest increases were India, 184,372 new cases; Brazil, 82,186; United States, 77,878; Turkey, 59,187; and France, 39,125.
COVID-19 tests scheduled
COVID-19 testing is available beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday at Lowe’s, 6920 State Ave., by appointment. The tests are listed on the Go Get Tested site
at www.gogettested.com/Kansas. The WellHealth tests need appointments, which can be made at the website.
Unified Government Health Department COVID-19 free testing and vaccine sites are scheduled to be open on Thursday, April 15. For more information, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. To see if there is any change to the schedule, visit https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
The Health Department is offering saliva COVID-19 tests to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 15, at the former Kmart at 7836 State Ave. and at the former Best Buy at 10500 Parallel Parkway. Tests from the Health Department are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County.
The tests are open to asymptomatic people as well as those who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19. Check with the UG Health Department’s Facebook page to see if there have been any changes in the schedule. Bring something that shows that you live or work in Wyandotte County, such as a utility bill.
The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
Testing sites are at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
Saliva testing is now offered at the UG Health Department. For more information, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/02042021-ugphd-saliva-testing-available.pdf.
The University of Kansas doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/201355135089336.
The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/292961702392386.
A weekly vaccine report for the state of Kansas is at
https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/123/Vaccine-Historical-Document-22521?bidId=.
Wyandotte County has a local mask and social distancing ordinance approved by the UG Commission. The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.
The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.
The Wyandotte County page on the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 website is at https://bao.arcgis.com/covid-19/jhu/county/20209.html.
The Johns Hopkins Data in Motion, a presentation on critical COVID-19 data in the past 24 hours, is at https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/covid-19-daily-video.