(Undated) -- A person in their 40's is being treated for blood clots at Nebraska Medicine, weeks after getting the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and Douglas County Health Department say the person had a significant medical event two weeks after receiving the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen Pharmaceuticals COVID-19 vaccine. The event occurred in early April and the person received the vaccine in mid-March. DHHS says it will work closely with DCHD, the patient's medical team and the CDC to ensure any potential connection to vaccination is investigated.
Health leaders say the incident has been entered into VAERS, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a national vaccine safety surveillance program run by CDC and the FDA. They say anytime a death or any adverse event occurs post-vaccination, the case must be reported into VAERS. This process allows the CDC and FDA to closely monitor and assess any adverse events, for ongoing safety evaluations. As is standard protocol for any significant incident reported in VAERS, it will be fully reviewed.
Health experts can't say yet if the vaccine directly caused the blood clots or not at this point. Clinical trials have shown similar rates of blood clots appearing in people who received the actual vaccine, and people who got a placebo.
Over 31,700 Johnson & Johnson vaccinations have been administered in Nebraska and over 4.5 million have been administered nationally to-date.
Nebraska’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gary Anthone said, “We are continuing to monitor this and other instances of adverse reactions that occur following vaccination. While we understand that this may raise concerns, we must not forget that vaccinations are our absolute best chance against the spread of virus that has taken the lives of far too many in our state and the country. I cannot stress how important it is for individuals concerned about vaccination to discuss their concerns with their medical provider.”
DHHS will share the results of the CDC review once it is finalized.