Greene County public health director Becky Wolf reports that as of April 14, the 14-day positivity rate for Covid-19 testing in the county is 3.8 percent. There have been a total of 849 cases of Covid in the county, with 114 active cases as of Wednesday.
Wolf also reports that 5,477 doses of Covid vaccine have been administered, and that 27 percent of Greene County residents are fully vaccinated. In the 65 years and older age group, 2,927 doses have been administered and 68 percent of those residents are fully vaccinated.
She provided information about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. More than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson “Janssen” vaccine have been administered in the U.S. On April 13, the CDC and FDA recommended a pause in the use of this brand of Covid-19 vaccine, until the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meets to further review data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rate and severe type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia) after receiving the J & J vaccine.
All six cases occurred in women between 18-48, and symptoms developed 6-13 days after receiving the vaccination. Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the typical used of heparin, an anti-clotting drug used to treat blood clots. With CVST, the administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given.
Until the process of further review of these cases by ACIP and FDA is complete, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has paused the use of J & J vaccine out of an abundance of caution. This is important to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of this extremely rare adverse event and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot.
People who have received the J & J vaccine and develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.
“During this pause, it is important that we continue to vaccinate as many people as possible, using either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine,” Wolf said.
Greene County public health’s “one and done” J & J vaccine clinic, original scheduled for April 13-14, has been paused until further guidance from IDPH. Public health will continue to offer the Moderna two-dose vaccine. Persons can sign up to receive the vaccine at https://form.jotform.com/210825039690153 ; public health staff will contact those who sign up to make an appointment. Persons who have no computer or internet access can call 515-386-0564 for assistance.
The “second-dose” Pfizer mass clinic will take place at the Greene Room at Wild Rose Jefferson on Wednesday, April 21, from 12:30-6:30 pm. Vaccine will be specifically provided for the 1,170 individuals who received their first dose on Wednesday, March 31 at the Wild Rose.
