COLORADO, USA — Patients coming to three COVID-19 mass vaccination sites over the next several days will only be receiving the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, Centura Health said Friday. The announcement comes two days after 11 people experienced adverse reactions to the Johnson & Johnson shot at one of their events.
>> The video above is 9Health expert Dr. Payal Kohli talks about vaccine reactions and vaccine safety
The events will take place April 10-14 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs and Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo.
Centura said given the national shortage of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the reactions some people had at their April 7 event at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, they will not be administering it to patients on those dates.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) do recommend the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as safe and effective, Centura President and CEO Peter Banko said, but Centura is waiting for the agencies to evaluate the April 7 incident as well as at least 10 other incidents in North Carolina and Georgia and will make any necessary adjustments. He said he's hoping to have an answer from them within a week.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have remained flexible and nimble, always ready to adapt our processes and systems rooted in our commitment to Safety First, People Always,” said Peter Banko, President & CEO of Centura Health. “I applaud and support our incredible caregivers at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for their courage to see something, say something, and stop the line.”
"There's enough hesitancy about the vaccine in general," Banko said, "and we've had a lot of disinformation over the last year. So we want to continue to be transparent and accountable to our communities and our caregivers."
Centura Health said the 24,400 people signed up for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can keep their same appointment date, time and location. The second dose of their COVID-19 vaccine will be scheduled for 21 days later at the same time and location as the first dose appointment.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will still be given to those in ambulatory care and in other physical clinic settings, Centura Health said.
Those who cannot make their appointment should call 855-882-8065 between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily to cancel or re-schedule.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: COVID-19 Vaccine
MORE WAYS TO GET 9NEWS
Subscribe to our daily 9NEWSLETTER for top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP
iTunes: http://on9news.tv/itunes
Google Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n
HOW TO ADD THE 9NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KUSA.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9news" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.