By ABBY GROFF
Staff Writer
After much talk about the potential dangers of taking the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, as well as a temporary pause on its distribution, the J&J vaccine is available for the public again. Both the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration have approved of this decision.
As the United States began to roll out more vaccines for citizens to take, people started to wonder which route they would take: Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson. Because I’m only seventeen, my options were strictly limited to Pfizer. However, those who are eighteen years or older have a choice out of the three. Many of those who chose J&J didn’t want to go through the trouble of making two different appointments since it only requires one stronger dose after all. Approximately seven million Americans took this shot, but unfortunately six individuals got unlucky as symptoms became severe.
Six people, all white women, developed a case of blood clotting following their dose. Despite a 0.00000086% chance of also getting a blood clot disorder from this vaccine, its severity was so concerning that the distribution of J&J had to be put on hold while researchers monitored the patients. They found that these six women were all aged 18 – 48 years. Sadly, one of them passed away. Five of them had underlying conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, and asthma.
While the effects of taking this specific vaccine can be scary, it’s important to remain calm and remember that millions of others have been fine. Conducting your own research on the symptoms and ingredients is important before making a final decision. Following the vaccine’s pause, it’s obvious that many Americans will now be hesitant on getting it. Getting vaccinated is important in reaching herd immunity to achieve beating this virus. It’s okay to be cautious, though. It’s okay to be wary. It’s been recommended that only certain groups, healthier individuals, get this shot. As long as you know you’re capable of handling the J&J vaccine, you should be able to make an appointment with confidence.