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What the J&J vaccine pause means for Convention Center site | Coronavirus Newsletter

Plus, a Philly health worker’s rush to deliver leftover COVID-19 vaccines before they expire

FEMA worker standing along N.12th St under the lights above the street as registered Philadelphians wait for entry into Pennsylvania Convention Center for COVID-19 vaccine at the FEMA's mass vaccination clinic on Wednesday morning March 18, 2021.
FEMA worker standing along N.12th St under the lights above the street as registered Philadelphians wait for entry into Pennsylvania Convention Center for COVID-19 vaccine at the FEMA's mass vaccination clinic on Wednesday morning March 18, 2021.Read moreALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer
    by Ellie Silverman
    Updated 
    Published 

The gist: The Federal Emergency Management Agency will continue providing alternative COVID-19 vaccine doses to the Pennsylvania Convention Center mass clinic in response to the sudden pause put on administering single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines due to reports of a rare clotting side-effect. Tarik Khan spends his nights rushing across the city, bringing leftover COVID-19 vaccines that would otherwise expire to homebound residents. We shadowed the family nurse-practitioner during a recent late-night dash to deliver 10 vaccines within six hours to some of Philadelphia’s most vulnerable residents. Follow along on his race here.

— Ellie Silverman (@esilverman11, health@inquirer.com)

What you need to know:

😷 Adults 16 and over can now be vaccinated in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Philadelphia and New Jersey will open vaccine eligibility to all adults on Monday.

📈 Bucks County is one of seven counties in Pennsylvania where COVID-19 cases have continued to rise quickly.

💉 Scrambled plans, delays, and new fears accompany the J&J COVID-19 vaccination pause across Philly region. However, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says it should not impact the Garden State’s vaccine goal.

🦠 CDC data shows that 40% of Pennsylvania residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose as of Wednesday morning.

💰 Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s budget proposes using an infusion of federal stimulus money to get the city back on track as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.

📰 What’s going on near you? We organize recent coverage of the pandemic by local counties and Philly neighborhoods to make it easier for you to find info you care about. Now, you can also get those local headlines sent directly to your inbox by signing up here.

Local coronavirus cases

📈While the numbers have been showing some signs of leveling off, coronavirus case totals continue to increase in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Inquirer and Spotlight PA are compiling geographic data on tests conducted, cases confirmed, and deaths caused by the virus. Track the spread here.

What the J&J vaccine pause means for Convention Center site

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will continue providing 4,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to the Pennsylvania Convention Center mass clinic through May 26. This is in response to the CDC and FDA’s sudden pause put on administering single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines due to reports of a rare clotting side-effect in six women out of about seven million doses administered. The agencies described this decision as being made “out of an abundance of caution.” Read more here.

Inside a Philly health worker’s rush to deliver leftover COVID-19 vaccines before they expire

Tarik Khan spends his nights rushing across the city, bringing leftover COVID-19 vaccines that would otherwise expire to homebound residents. We shadowed the family nurse-practitioner during a recent late-night dash to deliver 10 vaccines within six hours to some of Philadelphia’s most vulnerable residents. Follow along on his race here.

Helpful resources

  1. Am I eligible to get vaccinated? Know the requirements for Philly, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

  2. Where can I get a COVID-19 vaccine in the Philly area? Use our lookup tool.

  3. Here's how to prepare for your vaccine appointment.

  4. What you can do safely once you're fully vaccinated.

  5. Symptoms of COVID-19, flu, common cold, and allergies can overlap. How to tell the difference.

You got this: What to do if you were scheduled for a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine appointment

The CDC and FDA are recommending a pause in the use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. So what does this mean if you had an appointment coming up to receive the J&J vaccine? My colleague Grace Dickinson has a guide, listing sites in the city and suburbs and instructions for what to do. Check it out here.

🍽️ Lola’s Garden, an indoor-outdoor dining destination at Suburban Square, is opening.

🥡 Where to get vegan Chinese food in and around Philly.

📺 Kate Winslet on HBO’s ‘Mare of Easttown’ and that Delco accent: ‘I’m an actor who doesn’t like to get things wrong.’

Have a social distancing tip or question to share? Let us know at health@inquirer.com and your input might be featured in a future edition of this newsletter.

What we’re paying attention to

  1. ProPublica reports why experts say we need to investigate “breakthrough infections,” the small number of people who will be hospitalized despite being vaccinated.

  2. Western safety concerns about the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines threaten furthering vaccine mistrust in the Southern Hemisphere, the New York Times reports.

  3. The Washington Post reports how underserved communities will bear the brunt of the decision to pause the J&J vaccine rollout.

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