The Biden administration’s pause on Johnson & Johnson doses cascaded through many of New Jersey’s vaccination programs, temporarily halting initiatives meant to target the most vulnerable: residents who are homebound, in rehabilitation facilities or live in federally subsidized housing.
In Bergen County, officials nearly canceled a vaccine clinic at a housing complex but found 52 Moderna doses to use instead. Mobile sites inside Essex County churches and shelters were indefinitely postponed. And in Paterson, city officials nixed their efforts to inoculate 50 senior citizens in their homes and turned away 200 residents who had already lined up for a J&J vaccine Tuesday morning.
“Unfortunately, we did plan to administer about 600 doses of Johnson & Johnson today, so we had to cancel,” Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh told Gothamist/WNYC.
State officials ordered an immediate pause to the shot, following federal guidance, and said all J&J appointments needed to be rescheduled or switched to a dose of Pfizer or Moderna. The CDC and FDA paused the J&J shots out of an abundance of caution after six young women developed atypical blood clots. More than 6.8 million doses of the drug had been administered nationwide as of April 12th.
“It does serve as a setback, but I'll call it a temporary setback because we're going to quickly pivot,” Sayegh said. The vaccine site at International High School in Paterson is one of the only locations offering vaccines on a walk-in basis. Sayegh said it ensures doses are used up by residents who would rather line up than navigate the state’s appointment system. Paterson is 61% Hispanic and 25% Black.
Vaccines disparities continue to be a problem in the state, with 15% of doses administered to Blacks and Hispanics, even though the groups make up more than a third of the population. Data show white residents have received 57% of the doses in New Jersey, while 19% are marked unknown or other.
Sayegh said the site will reopen on Wednesday and use Moderna doses instead. And with a new partnership with nearby St. Joseph’s hospital, the city will receive an additional 10,000 Pfizer doses. But homebound visits and vaccinations at rehabilitation facilities are on hold.
Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco said if the pause only lasts a few days, he doesn’t expect much of an impact on the county’s overall efforts, particularly because they were already bracing for a drop in J&J allocations. J&J doses statewide dropped from 131,000 last week to 15,600 doses this week due to a reported factory mix-up in Baltimore that damaged 15 million doses. The state’s supply was expected to keep sliding down to 5,000 next week.
“We were going to feel the impact of a reduced amount already, so we were already preparing for that,” he said.
New Jersey has administered about 235,000 J&J doses, about 4% of all administered doses. On Monday, those 16 years or older will be eligible for the vaccine. Governor Phil Murphy said the pause wouldn’t affect his goal of inoculating 70% of the eligible population—about 4.7 million people—by June 30th.
“No one who has received this vaccine should panic or worry,” Murphy said at an unrelated event on Tuesday.
The one-shot dose that only requires regular refrigeration was a key component of programs to ensure vaccine equity because it doesn’t require a follow-up appointment or special ultra-cold storage.
“It was the more prominent vaccine that we use. Because it gives us much greater flexibility,” Tedesco said of his county’s efforts to vaccinate hard-to-reach populations. “But it certainly doesn't mean that we can't continue the equity program if Johnson & Johnson is delayed for any great time. We'll just roll over to Moderna.”
Editor's note: This story was updated after Bergen officials notified Gothamist that they were ultimately able to find Moderna doses for their recipients.
