IDPH reports 489 new COVID-19 positive tests and three additional deaths – KCCI Des Moines

RIGHT NOW. >> BREAKING TONIGHT, IOWA IS LIFTING ITS PAUSE ON THE JOHNSON AND JOHNSON COVID-19 VACCINE. >> JUST A FEW HOURS AGO, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SAYS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY IT RECOMMENDS ANY VACCINE PROVIDER THAT HAS THE SINGLE-DOSE VACCINE TO RESUME ADMINISTRATION. THE MOVE BY THE STATE COMES HOURS AFTER U.S. HEALTH OFFICIALS ALSO LIFTED PAUSE OVER REPORTS OF RARE BLOOD CLOTS. >> KCCI’S KAYLA JAMES IS AT MERCYONE IN DES MOINES TONIGHT. YOU TALKED TO AN EXPERT ABOUT THIS. >> THAT’S RIGHT. ONE OF MERCYONE’S INFECTIOUS DISEASE PHARMACY SPECIALISTS SAYS THIS IS NOTHING BUT GOOD NEWS. BUT HE DOES NOTE WOMEN UNDER THE AGE OF 50 MAY WANT TO LOOK INTO OPTIONS OTHER THAN THE J&J VACCINE. AFTER BEING PLACED ON A PAUSE FOR TEN DAYS, THE JOHNSON AND JOHNSON’S JANSSEN VACCINE WILL RESUME. MEMBERS OF THE CDC ADVISORY PANEL WHO VOTED FRIDAY DID ADD IN A RECOMMENDATION HOWEVER, A WARNING BE ADDED TO BETTER INFORM WOMEN UNDER THE AGE OF 50 OF SIDE EFFECTS. >> WE ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH THE FDA ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WARNING WITHIN OUR LABEL AND PATIENT AND PHYSICIAN FACT SHEETS DESCRIBING THIS VERY RARE EVENT. REPORTER: A RARE BLOOD CLOTTING DISORDER SO FAR ONLY FOUND IN WOMEN WAS THE SOURCE OF THE PAUSE. OUT OF THE 7 MILLION J&J VACCINES ADMINISTERED, THERE ARE CURRENTLY 15 CASES INVOLVING BLOOD CLOTS. >> WHAT WAS UNIQUE IS THEY ALSO HAD VERY LOW PLATELETS. PLATELETS HELP WITH BLOOD CLOTTING. SO THIS IS A RARE CONDITION. REPORTER: MERCYONE’S INFECTIOUS DISEASE PHARMACIST SPECIALIS JEFF BROCK, SAYS THE DISORDER IS USUALLY MORE PREVALENT IN WOMEN. BROCK UNDERSTANDS IF WOMEN ARE WARY OF J&J, BUT SAYS THAT DOESN’T MEAN THEY SHOULD AVOID BEING VACCINATED ALTOGETHER. >> THESE CLOTTING ISSUES ARE RARE. BUT YOU KNOW, THERE IS A RISK. SO YOU NEED TO WEIGH THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF WHAT VACCINE YOU GET. REPORTER: PRIOR TO THE PAUSE, MORE THAN 87,000 DOSES OF THE J&J VACCINE HAD BEEN ADMINISTERED ACROSS THE STATE. MODERNA SITS AT 992,000, AND PFIZER AT OVER ONE MILLION. BROCK SAYS J&J’S RETURN WILL FIX A PROBLEM HE’S SEEN, IOWANS WHO ARE AVOIDING MODERNA AND PFIZER. >> I’VE HEARD SOME STATS AROUND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE NOT GETTING THAT SECOND COVID SHOT IF YOU KNOW, IF YOU’RE GETTING THE PFIZER OR MODERNA, IT’S UPWARDS OF 10-PLUS%. REPORTER: I DID REACH OUT TO A FEW PLACES WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED VACCINE CLINICS USING J&J BEFORE THE PAUSE TO SEE WHAT THERE PLANS WERE. ONE OF THOSE BEING IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY. THEY TOLD ME THEY HAVEN’T YET MADE A DECISION ON THE VACCINE, BUT FOR NEXT WEEK’S CLINICS, THEY WILL BE USING PFI