The effort to vaccinate as many people as possible ran into complications this week after reports that six women who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine developed blood clots.
And, the announcement raised concerns among those recently vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
“Once I saw the headlines pop up, I thought, ‘Oh my God, do I need to be worried?” said Evan Wilson a Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipient.
“I said, 'Of course I got the vaccine right before they paused it,'” said Kelsey Santamaria another J&J recipient.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
According to the CDC, 7.2 million doses of the vaccine have been administered with six patients reporting blood clots. That means fewer than one in every 1 million vaccine recipients ran experienced the side effect.
The women between the ages of 18 and 48 experienced unusual clots 6 to 13 days after vaccination. The clots occurred in veins that drain blood from the brain and occurred together with low platelets.
The CDC said the cases are "extremely rare."
Local
“I don't think people need to be nervous about it,” said Dr. Shira Abeles, MD, infectious disease specialist at UCSD. “I think the pause is to evaluate events -- rare events -- that may be associated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but still they're extremely rare.”
Dr. Abeles adds it's not clear what role if any the vaccine played in the development of the blood clots. But if you are experiencing any of these symptoms -- severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath -- you should contact a doctor.
She adds regulators are constantly monitoring the safety of the vaccines even after they are authorized and made available to the public.
“It's extremely unlikely that there is going to be any adverse effect on almost all people that have gotten the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” said Dr. Abeles.
