City Of Detroit Suspends Use Of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine

DETROIT (AP) — The city of Detroit has suspended the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine by the city's health department until further notice.

Detroit Chief Public Health Officer Denise Fair said Tuesday that the decision is based on recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Detroit "has a sufficient supply of Moderna and Pfizer (vaccines) to vaccinate everyone who had an appointment scheduled this week at the Northwest Activity Center or the neighborhood clinics for a J&J shot," the health department said in a release.

A box of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 vaccine that arrived at Oakland County Health Division (Credit: Jaime Fenner, Oakland County)

The CDC and FDA said Tuesday that they are recommending a "pause" in administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots. Cases of unusual blood clots in six women that occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination were being investigated.

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines will be given to people in Detroit who want to keep their same appointment times, the city's health department said.

Detroit has been giving mass vaccinations at its downtown convention center which is unaffected by the Johnson & Johnson suspension because that site only has been using the other two vaccines.

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