Warwick Vaccination Site Closes Amid J&J Vaccine Pause

WARWICK TOWNSHIP, PA — The Bucks County mass vaccination clinic in Warwick Township has canceled all appointments Tuesday and Wednesday following the recommendation of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration to pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

"Due to the CDC & FDA's recommendations regarding concerns about the J&J COVID vaccine, today's clinic at the Warwick (Giant) location has been canceled. Please standby for further announcements about this location's clinics for the rest of the week," the Bucks County Health Department said in a statement Tuesday.

The federal agencies announced Tuesday they were recommending a pause after reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in people after receiving the J&J vaccine.

Related: Feds Pause Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine In PA, Nationwide

More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S. as of Monday. In Bucks County, the vaccine was primarily reserved for school teachers and employees before it was opened up to the rest of the public earlier this month. Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the J&J vaccine only requires one dose.

Bucks County's clinic in the former Giant at the Warwick Square Shopping Center administered nearly 800 shots during last week's soft opening. It was expected to exceed 1,000 per day this week after county providers received more than 23,000 doses of the vaccine from the state last week, officials said Monday.

The county's other four mass clinics at the Neshaminy Mall and the three Bucks County Community College campuses use only Pfizer vaccine, and will proceed with appointments as scheduled, county officials said in a statement Tuesday.

Almost 39 percent of eligible Pennsylvanians have received at least a first dose of vaccine, according to the CDC. More than 311,000 shots had been administered in Bucks County through Saturday, county officials said.

Starting Tuesday, all Pennsylvanians ages 16 and up are eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations.

For full information about getting a coronavirus vaccine in Pennsylvania, visit Patch's information hub.

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