The incident occurred in Commerce City, a suburb of Denver, at a mass vaccination site set up by private health corporation Centura Health. (Related: KNOCK KNOCK: Detroit will send government workers door-to-door to pressure residents to get vaccinated… what could go wrong?)
"Following the administration of the J&J vaccine and during onsite observation, we saw a limited number of adverse reactions to the vaccine… We followed our protocols and, in an abundance of caution, made the decision – in partnership with the state – to pause operations for the remainder of the day," wrote Centura Health in its statement regarding the incident.
At least 11 people experienced adverse reactions during Centura Health's "Vaccines for All" event. The people who experienced complications complained of vomiting, nausea and dizziness. Nine of the patients were sent home after being given juice or water. The remaining two individuals were rushed to the hospital for further observation. They were determined to have low blood pressure and released the same day.
According to Centura Health, they were able to provide vaccinations for over 1,700 people on the day of the incident. Another 640 people who had signed up to get their shots there that day were turned away and told to return on Sunday, April 11.
"Our goal is to continue to vaccinate Coloradans as quickly as possible while keeping our patients' safety at the forefront," continued Centura Health's statement.
Despite the incident, Centura Health said it would not stop vaccinating people with the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The company said that less than one percent of vaccine recipients experienced adverse effects from the jabs.
Colorado health officials told people that getting the vaccine is "far safer than getting severely sick with COVID-19."
Batch of Johnson & Johnson vaccines sequestered for investigation
The batch of vaccines responsible for causing the adverse reactions were sequestered by the state for investigation.
Both Centura Health and Colorado authorities conducted a review of the doses. On Thursday evening, April 8, state health officials said they were confident that there was nothing wrong with the vaccines.
"After reviewing each patient's symptoms, analyzing other vaccinations from the same lot of the vaccine and speaking with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm our findings, we are confident in saying that there is no reason for concern," said Dr. Eric France, chief medical officer for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The Food and Drug Administration conducted its own investigation. It checked the records of the two batches of vaccines used by Centura Health and found no pattern of similar adverse reactions anywhere else in the nation.
Johnson & Johnson also said it was evaluating the reports of adverse reactions very closely.
"We are collecting the necessary information, including from the local vaccination center," the company said in a statement. "There is no greater priority than the safety and wellbeing of the people we serve, and we carefully review reports of adverse events in individuals receiving our medicines and vaccines."
Many other people at vaccination sites across the nation experienced adverse reactions. In Wake County, North Carolina, 14 people experienced "minor reactions" to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to county health authorities. The county said another four individuals were taken to nearby hospitals for further treatment and observation.
Similar to the Colorado event, the organizers shut down vaccinations. People who were supposed to get vaccinated that day were offered the Pfizer vaccine or the option to reschedule once they pass a medical evaluation.
Learn more about the adverse events caused by the coronavirus vaccines like Johnson & Johnson by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.
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