More Than 1,000 COVID Vaccination Appointments Canceled In Aurora As Officials Pause Use Of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
AURORA, Ill. (CBS) -- At a mass vaccination site in Aurora, about 1,100 people were scheduled to receive the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday.
But all those appointments have been canceled, after the FDA and CDC recommended a "pause" in the administration of Johnson & Johnson vaccines while they investigate cases of blood clots.
The Illinois Department of Public Health said it is pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine "out of an abundance of caution."
As a result, a vaccination clinic scheduled for Tuesday at the state-run mass vaccination site at 970 N. Lake St. in Aurora has been canceled.
As CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reported, Sara Severson had a surprise when arriving at the site for her shot and finding the location closed.
Severson said she made the appointment for the shot about a week ago.
"So a little disappointing, I guess," she said.
The Kane County Health Department sent text messages and emails to those who were supposed the get their one-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 shot at the Aurora site on Tuesday.
"We have rescheduled or are in the process of rescheduling, 1,600 appointments that were going to be today in Aurora and in Elgin," said Michael Isaacson of the Kane County Health Department.
Aurora city officials said the appointments scheduled for Tuesday can be rescheduled for an upcoming clinic where the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines will be used.
"We are encouraging anyone who took the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in recent days to seek medical attention if they have concerns. While these cases may be rare, please make it a priority to visit a healthcare provider immediately," Aurora officials said in a statement. "We look forward to a thorough review of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by federal health officials. In the meantime, we will continue to support vaccine rollout efforts where vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna are used."
The health department had to cancel the appointments after the Illinois Department of Public Health said use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would be put on hold, after six people who received the shot developed a rare blood clot. A Virginia woman died.
Le Mignot: "Learning the reason that this appointment was cancelled, now what do you think?"
Severson: "I mean, I think, you know, people should be informed if people are having reactions to the vaccine I guess - or that, that's a possibility."
Severson, who took time off from work to come to the mass vaccination site, wasn't alone. Alexa Quaranta of Naperville showed up too.
"It's kind of good that they stopped it before a lot of people got it," Quaranta said.
While Quaranta was able to schedule a Pfizer vaccine quickly in Batavia on Tuesday, Severson said she is planning on scheduling another appointment soon.
"I think it's important to be vaccinated in order to, getting things back to quote-unquote normal," Severson said. "That's what I'm looking forward to doing."
To date, the Kane County Health Department has vaccinated 11,000 people with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 shot. The department is still encouraging people to get vaccinated with the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine at their locations in Elgin, Batavia, and Aurora.
Pfizer vaccine appointments are available in Kane County at www.kanevax.org.
A separate mass vaccination clinic at Fox Valley Mall on Tuesday, using the Pfizer vaccine, is still open, although all appointments already have been filled.