Local infectious disease doctor: 'Don't panic' about J&J vaccine
It’s a question so many people are asking right now.
Is the Johnson & Johnson vaccine safe?
An infectious disease doctor in West Palm Beach believes the answer is probably.
“Right now, there is no definite correlation, but we have to look into it,” said Dr. Olayemi Osiyemi. “Maybe there is one.”
Osiyemi believes the Food and Drug Administration is doing the absolute right thing by pushing the pause button on Johnson & Johnson after six women developed blood clots less than two weeks after getting the vaccine.
“I think any time you see a number of events that happen very close, you want to stop and say, ‘What’s going on?’” Osiyemi said.
And Osiyemi said what’s going on may have absolutely nothing to do with the vaccine.
He said the conversation is about six women out of nearly 7 million who have gotten the vaccine, not a large number.
Osiyemi said it’s possible the clots could be a coincidence or the women may have all had a similar prior condition.
Or maybe the clots were caused by the vaccine.
Whatever the answer, Osiyemi said it’s important to check and find out.
“I think people need to understand that what the FDA is doing right now is not unique to this vaccine,” Osiyemi said. “This is what we do with all medications.”
And Osiyemi said if research shows the vaccine is safe to take, he will advise all of his patients to get it.
“This is a normal course of action,” he said. “So, it’s not a reason to panic.”
An advisory committee with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meeting on Wednesday to discuss the next steps for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.