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North Texas providers get go-ahead to resume Johnson & Johnson vaccinations

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Published  April 27, 2021 7:58pm CDT
Coronavirus Vaccine
FOX 4

North Texas providers get go-ahead to resume Johnson & Johnson vaccinations

After the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was put on hold nationally for nearly two weeks, North Texas providers now have the green light. But some providers are choosing to wait.

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Arlington Fire Department resumed Johnson & Johnson vaccinations weeks after it was put on hold to investigate a rare side effect.

Dallas County plans to start using the one-and-done shot Wednesday, but some providers are choosing to wait.

After the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was put on hold nationally for nearly two weeks, providers now have the green light.

At a pop-up location on South Cooper Street in Arlington, more than 200 people received the J&J shot Tuesday.

The Arlington Fire Department says it has more than 40,000 Johnson & Johnson doses that need to be administered.

FILE - A Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vial and box is seen at a vaccination site in a file image. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

FILE - A Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vial and box is seen at a vaccination site in a file image. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

"We have reached out for community outreach, some churches and homebound opportunities for citizens who can’t get to these mass vaccine sites," said Arlington Fire Lt. Richard Fegan.

The Dallas Fair Park hub has more than 30,000 doses of J&J. It will restart Wednesday. But people can choose to get Pfizer instead.

Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Dr. Philip Huang says the J&J issue impacted a very small number of people.

The CDC says out of the eight million doses administered before the pause, it confirmed 15 cases of the blood clot issues linked to the vaccine, including one woman in Texas. But the CDC approved resuming distribution after an advisory panel said the benefits outweighed the risks.

Hospitals like Methodist Dallas, the city of Dallas' Potter’s House location, Parkland’s Ellis Davis Field House location and JPS still don’t have a timeline of when they will start giving the J&J vaccine again.

"We are kind of starting over with educating that these vaccines have nominal risks and no huge risks as we have vaccinated over 70,000 people," said Methodist Health System COO and President Dr. Pam Stoyanoff.

Pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens have also restarted giving J&J in certain locations in the state.