Pause In Johnson & Johnson Covid Vaccine Could Have Consequences for Senior Living Providers
Senior Housing News reports, “Federal health officials are recommending a halt in administering the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine as they review a small number of reported cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot. A prolonged pause on the vaccine could affect vaccination efforts in senior living communities, but it’s not clear by how much or how long such a disruption may last.”
At Consonus, this pause will not halt vaccinations. Consonus Pharmacy is fully stocked with the Pfizer vaccine and our vaccine continuity program will continue without interruption.
Senior Housing News spoke with Consonus CEO, Phil Fogg, about the J&J pause and how it impacts Senior Living Providers.
The effects of the vaccine pause vary by situation, according to Phil Fogg, Jr., CEO of Milwaukie, Oregon-based Marquis Companies, along with its in-house long-term care pharmacy, Consonus Pharmacy.
The seven long-term care pharmacy providers that were approved by CDC and state to be a vaccine distributor in phase one of the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program — which includes Consonus — generally have ample supplies of both the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for ongoing clinics, he told SHN.
Long-term care pharmacies that were approved and designated to distribute the Johnson & Johnson vaccines in the second phase of the program will now have vaccine access “based on state and their supply of non-J&J vaccination supply,” Fogg said, while pharmacies who were not approved or whose approval was contingent on vaccine supply might run into disruptions.
“Final comment is that we are consistently hearing that this will not be a long-term disruption,” Fogg said. “We are hearing projections of 2-3 weeks.”