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NY to follow recommendation to pause use of Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine

By Wire and Staff Report
Updated  April 13, 2021 12:32pm EDT
New York
FOX 5 NY

NY, NJ, CT pausing J&J vaccine

Anyone in New York with an appointment for a Johnson and Johnson shot Tuesday would receive Pfizer, instead. Future appointments would be rescheduled.

NEW YORK - New York state health officials will follow federal recommendations and pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker announced Tuesday.

Zucker said all appointments for Johnson & Johnson vaccines on Tuesday at state-run mass vaccination sites would be honored with the Pfizer vaccine. Future appointments will be rescheduled.

"I am in constant contact with the federal government, and we will update New Yorkers as more information becomes available," Zucker said in a news release.

RELATED: US recommends ‘pause’ on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate rare clotting reports

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a virtual news briefing that the city would follow the federal recommendation and stop administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at its hospitals and clinics, as well.

"Every site has been told this morning to stop giving Johnson and Johnson shots," said de Blasio.

The mayor, who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine himself last month, said the pause in vaccinations was a setback for the city but added, "our effort continues strong and will continue today and every day until we beat this disease."

"This is a sign that the U.S. has a system in place that identifies even the most rare events," said Dr. Jay Varma, Senior Advisor for Public Health, NYC Mayor's Office.

J&J vaccine on pause

Federal agencies are recommending a pause in the distribution of the Johnson and Johnson COVID vaccine.

Several colleges in the state announced the cancellation of vaccination clinics using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

"We apologize to those who were looking forward to being vaccinated today," Heidi Macpherson, president of the State University of New York at Brockport, said in a statement. "More information about other potential vaccination opportunities, on or off campus, will be shared when they become available."

Officials at SUNY Oswego announced that a Johnson & Johnson vaccination clinic scheduled for Tuesday would be canceled and advised students and employees to look into local options for getting the Moderna vaccine.

RELATED: NYC kindergarten applications drop 12 percent as enrollment falls

With the Associated Press