TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Some Tallahassee sites are back to handing out the Johnson and Johnson shot while working to rebuild faith in the vaccine. Neighborhood Medical Center is one of those sites.
Neighbor Medical Center CEO Jeanne Freeman says initially, the Johnson and Johnson shot was popular. Once the Center for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration pulled it to look into confirmed cases of blood clotting, that interest was lost.
"I think the pause with the J and J vaccine caused some concern for people. It caused concern for all of us. We all want to know and make sure we're making the best decisions as they affect our health outcomes," she said.
The one-and-done shot is now back in action at Neighborhood Medical Center and Bond Community Health. Vaccination sites run by the Florida Department of Health expect to bring the brand at a later date.
The Florida Department of Health issued a modified consent form as a result of the study. Freeman says it one of the changes made after the study.
"There's a new consent form that has to be completed. There's a fact sheet for the clinical providers, as well as the patients who are receiving the vaccination with updates as well, so there's definitely a new screen process," she said.
The next challenge is increasing the trust in the vaccines, especially Johnson and Johnson.
"We're getting out and we're vaccinating people on the weekends. We're doing pop-up clinics in neighborhoods. We're meeting people where they are. There's outreach being done to let people know that we're here and we're not going away. We're here to provide education about the vaccinations," she said.
Dr. William Geers is the Capital Regional Medical Center Medical Director of Hospital. He says despite the study, there's no reason to fear the vaccine.
"Everything we're seeing so far shows the vaccine is really safe and everything we've learned over the last year and a half shows that COVID is really bad," said Dr. Geers.
He says getting the shot, no matter the brand is what it'll take to ensure you're safe.
"All three of them are effective at preventing mortality and hospitalizations," he said.
