While state and local health officials plan to resume use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, they say people will now have the option to choose which vaccine they want to receive.
Going forward some clinics will now let people know ahead of time which vaccine is being offered when they sign up for their appointment, and if they prefer a different vaccine they can try another location or provider.
It is a big change from earlier messaging that urged people to get whichever vaccine was available.
State health officials tell the San Francisco Chronicle that they are updating the state’s MyTurn vaccine sign-up website to include a field to show which vaccine is being offered. That update should be complete by Thursday.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been on hold for nearly two weeks after federal health officials recommended a pause because of several rare blood clot cases that occurred in patients within weeks of getting the shot.
The change may help ease the fears of people who are hesitant to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by giving them the option to choose an alternative.
The CDC’s panel of experts cleared the J&J vaccine for use again on Friday. They said that there may be a link between the vaccine and the clots but the connection is not clear.
There have been 16 reported cases, 15 of them in women and one in a man.
Officials say that the chances of developing the clots, which is treatable if caught early, are roughly two in one million for the overall population and seven in one million for women ages 18 to 49. In contrast, the risk of dying from COVID-19 is one in 56.
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