Johnson and Johnson vaccines halted

After eight people suffered serious side effects at a vaccine site in Cummings, Georgia Department of Public Health officials announced that they have paused distribution of the vaccine there. Of the eight people who suffered adverse effects, one was hospitalized while the remaining seven were monitored before being allowed to go home. This Georgia site is one of four across the country that has paused usage of the Johnson & Johnson one shot vaccine. Other sites include those in North Carolina and Colorado. The Centers for Disease Control is also investigating a shutdown in Iowa, according to the AP.

The Cumming site remains open and is administering the two-shot Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine per DPH officials.

In the race to protect more Americans from COVID-19, this halt on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may negatively impact President Joe Biden’s push to get all adults in the U.S. vaccinated.

During its clinical trials, the most common side effects of the J&J vaccine were headaches and fatigue, followed by muscle aches, nausea and fever. In March, Johnson & Johnson was forced to discard 15 million doses of its vaccine at its Baltimore facility because the batch did not meet quality standards.