FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine resumed in Arkansas Tuesday.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the reintroduction of the one-shot COVID-19 vaccine in the state following its April 13 pause following reports of blood clots in six female patients within two weeks of getting the vaccine.
The CDC and FDA are reviewing the six reported cases out of nearly 7 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines administered in the United States.
“Vaccinations are the most important tool we have to neutralize COVID-19,” Hutchinson said in a statement Monday. “The resumption of the J&J distribution allows us to say with confidence that the vaccine is as safe as the first two. This will re-energize our campaign to persuade everyone to be immunized.”
The governor said vaccinations are “the only way we can bring this global pandemic to an end.”
The J&J vaccine will be available through many pharmacies and Arkansas’s local public health units.
Arkansas Department of Health has a seven-page fact sheet online on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine: Though the development of a COVID-19 vaccine has followed an accelerated timeline, safety has been the top priority, the ADH noted.
All Arkansans age 16 or older are now eligible to receive the vaccine.
Eligible Arkansans can make an appointment at a community pharmacy. Vaccine clinics and events are also being made available through hospitals, health care providers,and worksites. Call 1-800-985-6030 for assistance finding a vaccine or to sign up for an ADH clinic.
