The Texas Department of State Health Services is asking vaccine providers in the state to pause administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine, in accordance with today’s recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Both federal agencies recommend health providers suspend use of the J&J vaccine due to concerns over reported blood clots in patients. In a statement, the agencies cited six cases of a “rare and severe” type of blood clot in U.S. patients – including one death – out of about 7 million doses of the vaccine administered in the United States.
Officials acknowledge the pause comes “out of an abundance of caution.” Both the CDC and FDA are investigating the cases. Anyone who has received the J&J vaccine and experienced severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after being vaccinated is urged to contact their health-care provider.
The announcement means all federal vaccination sites will immediately stop using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This is the second recent setback for Johnson & Johnson, which reported on April 1 that 15 million doses of vaccine had to be destroyed after they were contaminated during production at a Baltimore facility. The latest news comes as the number of Texans being vaccinated against COVID-19 continues to rise. Last week 1,150,175 Texans were vaccinated against the virus.
As of March 29, all adults in Texas are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. Dr. Joe Anzaldua, Missouri City’s Local Health Authority, recently issued health recommendations for fully vaccinated people. People are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 more than two weeks after they have received the second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer or Moderna), or more than two weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine (J&J/Janssen).
Fully vaccinated people:
- Can resume domestic travel; they do not need to get tested before or after travel, nor self- quarantine after travel.
- Do not need to get tested before leaving the United States (unless required by the destination) or self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States.
- Coming to the United States from abroad, including U.S. citizens, are still required to have a negative SARS-CoV-2 viral test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board a flight to the United States.
- Can visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Can visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease, indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Can refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure, if asymptomatic
Fully vaccinated people should continue to:
- Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing
- Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease
- Wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households
- Avoid medium- and large-sized, in-person gatherings
- Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
- Follow guidance issued by individual employers
- Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations
- Note:
- International travelers arriving in the United States are still recommended to get a SARS-CoV-2 viral test three (3) to five (5) days after travel, regardless of vaccination status.
- People who are not fully vaccinated should receive a COVID-19 test one (1) to three (3) days before traveling within the U.S., as well as three (3) to five (5) days after traveling. They should also continue to self-quarantine for seven (7) days after travel, or 10 days if they choose to not receive a COVID-19 test after returning.
- Note:
To watch the City’s latest COVID-19 Update news conference, Click Here.
Residents who want to get vaccinated can register or find out more details via one of the following links:
- Fort Bend County Registration
- Harris County Registration
- Memorial Hermann Vaccine Registration
- Houston Methodist Vaccine Registration
- List of Other Local Providers
- Texas State Vaccine Providers Map
For more updates, please watch the City website: www.missouricitytx.gov, like us on Facebook—fb/MissouriCityTX, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat—@MissouriCityTX and Nextdoor, watch Missouri City Television (Ch. 16 on Comcast and Ch. 99 on AT&T) or download the MCTX Mobile app (available for free in Google Play and the Apple app store).
