Pharmacist Says Scare Over J & J Side Effects Not Keeping People Away
NEWTON (CBS) - Newton Pharmacist Xiaoyan Qin says she's so happy to have Johnson & Johnson vaccine back in the mix, she decided to host a J & J-only walk in clinic at her store, Union Pharmacy. "We have so many people call to request Johnson & Johnson because one shot is really attractive to lots of people," she said.
Qin says the scare over rare side-effects is not keeping people away, even though it was enough to make the federal government put a temporary stop to J & J shots.
People in Newton Center said it wouldn't scare them away. "I think I would be pretty open getting the J & J," said Lisa Medeiros.
But some are hesitant. "I feel like people should just go with the other two," said Teddy Hilton. "If people are saying it's bad already, there's no point in giving it a chance."
Customer David Tester had a choice when he came in for his appointment. He chose Moderna over J & J. "From what I hear, the efficacy rates are a bit higher," he said.
Jane Kellogg wanted the shot in time for Mother's Day. "I wanted to make the choice, and my choice was the Johnson & Johnson vaccine," Kellogg said. She drove over an hour from Plymouth to Newton to get one of only 6,000 available doses in the state right now.
"I just want you to know that I cried today," Kellogg said. "Because my kids don't want to see me until I - and I want to see my kids."
"This is a good vaccine, very convenient, very effective," said Dr. Paul Sax, Clinical Director of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
But he said there are certain people who should get advice about possible side effects. "It appears to be limited to younger women. I would suggest that if you fall into this category, if you're a woman under the age of 50 years old, that you talk to your doctor before you get the J & J vaccine because we do have alternatives," Sax said.
Governor Charlie Baker says the state is expecting another 4,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson later this week.
To find out more about COVID vaccinations in Massachusetts and where you can get one visit mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine.
