Hart vaccine clinic scheduled, 1 brand pulled

A vaccine clinic is now scheduled for Saturday, April 24, as the number of local inoculations continues to increase and infections slow, but one vaccine brand is being put on pause.
The Hart County Health Department is planning a Saturday COVID-19 vaccine clinic from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on April 24 to administer up to 250 doses of the Moderna vaccine, according to a press release from the health department.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a joint statement Tuesday, April 13 advising providers to pause administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after there were six cases reported of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the vaccine. In these cases, a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia), according to the CDC. All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination.
“Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare. COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, Principal Deputy Director of the CDC and Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research said in a joint statement.
“People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.”
The pause comes as DPH officials temporarily stopped giving Johnson & Johnson vaccines at a mass administration site at the Cumming Fairgrounds last week amid reports of “adverse reactions” among eight people, including one who was evaluated at a hospital and released.
The eight Georgia cases were “consistent with common reactions” to receiving the vaccine, according to a DPH news release. They were among more than 124,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines that have been administered without any adverse reactions in Georgia.
DPH officials also confirmed the six cases of blot clots under federal review did not occur in Georgia and are unrelated to the eight local cases reported in Cumming last week.
The local health department is continuing to expand its vaccination program. More than 9,300 vaccines had been administered in Hart County, as of Monday, between private providers and the health department, according to the DPH.
About 21 percent of Hart County residents are considered fully vaccinated, and about 16 percent of residents have received at least the first dose. Of the 5,448 residents who have received an initial vaccine dose, about 4,800 of those residents are more than 45 years old.
Nearly 4.8 million vaccines had been administered in Georgia as of Monday afternoon, marking more than 3.1 million people who had received at least one of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. More than 1.7 million Georgians are now fully vaccinated, according to state DPH data.
As of Monday, just 12 cases of COVID-19 had been reported in the past two weeks in Hart County, according to the DPH. Another death was added in the past week to bring Hart County’s total to 36 deaths, with 15 additional deaths listed as “probable” COVID-19 deaths, according to DPH data.
The Hart County Health Department says its community outreach to local businesses and industry has been successful. The Hart County Jail and Whitworth Women’s Facility both have a mass clinic set up for employees and inmates.
The health department has also reached out to Hart County High School to evaluate student interest in receiving a vaccine on-site. Principal Kevin Gaines sent out a message urging students ages 16 and over to complete an interest form. The website is linked in the online version of this article at thehartwellsun.com and can also be accessed in each high schooler student’s Google Classroom site.
 Once the information is received, the plan is to set up a clinic to administer the Pfizer vaccine to those at least 16 years old if there is enough interest generated. Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for 16 and 17-year- olds. Students 16 and 17 years of age must have parental approval to be vaccinated.
The Moderna vaccine is now offered Monday through Friday to those 18 and over at Flat Shoals Baptist Church Gym at 2999 Bowersville Highway in Hart County. All appointments can be made online at phdistrtict2.org or by calling 888-426-5073.
Beau Evans with Capitol Beat News Service contributed to this report.