COVID-19 Vaccine Update
In this video, Dr. Paul Natvig, director of UI Student Health, explains the university’s decision to pause all Johnson & Johnson vaccinations in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation. While reported negative side effects are extremely rare, Natvig explains what you can do if you have concerns about the vaccine.
University of Iowa pausing Johnson & Johnson vaccine
As you may have read, federal health officials are recommending a pause in the administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine. In a joint statement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), health officials said they are reviewing six cases of a rare but severe blood clot in individuals who have received the vaccine. The cases occurred in women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms developed within six to 13 days of vaccination. With more than 6.8 million people in the U.S. having received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the CDC and FDA say these adverse events appear to be extremely rare.
The University of Iowa has cancelled all scheduled appointments for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at this time. If you were scheduled to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you will receive an email notifying you of the cancellation.
If you have any concerns about your health after receiving the vaccine, or if you experience severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after receiving the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination, please contact your health care provider.
- Students: Visit the Student Health website. If you need to speak to a nurse, contact Student Health by calling the Nurseline (319-335-9704), or sending an email (student-health@uiowa.edu). After hours you may contact UI Hospitals & Clinics at 1-800-777-8442.
- Faculty/Staff: Call your health care provider or UI Hospitals & Clinics (319-384-9010) and inform them of your symptoms or schedule a video visit through MyChart.
The university will continue to rely on guidance from the CDC, FDA, Iowa Department of Public Health, and Johnson County Public Health.
We will continue to vaccinate students, faculty, and staff with available supplies of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, but the number of vaccines we can give is dependent on the number of doses we receive from the state and county. If you can be vaccinated sooner at an approved location, such as a local pharmacy, we encourage you to do so.
The vaccine will be provided free of charge no matter where you are vaccinated.