Delaware County sees lackluster turnout for J&J vaccine clinics

Armed with over 20,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and thousands more of its two-shot counterparts, Delaware County saw a limited turnout at its two mass vaccine clinics on Sunday. 

Delaware County COVID Task Force Director Rosemary Hart said around 1,000 people got their shots Sunday between Ridley High School and Delaware County Community College. County officials, however, were not discouraged by the lackluster turnout.

"There is a lot going on right now," Hart said. "First of all, the pharmacies, a lot of the pharmacies, now have vaccine."

Delaware County's seven vaccine clinics all offer walk-in appointments and have three vaccine options available for visitors. Officials hoped the return of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was halted for more than a week due to research on rare blood clots, would draw more attention. 

Following an 11-day investigation, federal health officials deemed the Johnson & Johnson vaccine safe despite the rare instances of severe blood clots. 

"We have concluded that the known and potential benefits of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine outweigh its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age and older," Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement. "We are confident that this vaccine continues to meet our standards for safety, effectiveness and quality."

States and counties across the Delaware Valley have resumed use of the vaccine, including Montgomery County where Chairwoman Dr. Valarie Arkoosh got the shot on Wednesday. 

"What I want people to know is the FDA has determined that this is safe and effective that's why I'm here that's why I got it today," Dr. Arkoosh said. "COVID is still here it's here in a lot of big numbers and the best thing people can do to get their lives back to normal is get vaccinated."

Pennsylvania's coronavirus vaccine dashboard says over 8.5M doses have been administered thus far and 3.5M Pennsylvanians are fully vaccinated. 

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