Daily COVID-19 Update

Federal health agencies have called for a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine effective Tuesday, April 13 to investigate rare reports of blood clots occurring within approximately two weeks of vaccination. So far, six cases of serious blood clots have been reported among the 6.8 million people who have received the J&J vaccine, so it is a rare occurrence but still warrants further study. The investigation will analyze whether these events have occurred at a rate higher than would be expected in the general population who did not receive the J&J vaccine.

The vaccine effectively protects against COVID-19, a virus that has resulted in the deaths of over 500,000 people in the USA alone. Allegany County Health Department has canceled all vaccination clinics that were scheduled to administer Johnson & Johnson vaccines until further guidance is received. All clinics scheduled to administer Moderna or Pfizer vaccines will proceed as planned. People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider. Please see the official statement from the CDC and FDA below for more information.

Joint CDC and FDA Statement on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine

The following statement is attributed to Dr. Anne Schuchat, Principal Deputy Director of the CDC and Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research

As of April 12, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen ) vaccine have been administered in the U.S. CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine. In these cases, a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia). All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered. Usually, an anticoagulant drug called heparin is used to treat blood clots. In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given.

CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases. Until that process is complete, we are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution. This is important, in part, to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot.

Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare. COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously. People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider. Health care providers are asked to report adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System at https://vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html.

CDC and FDA will provide additional information and answer questions later today at a media briefing. A recording of that media call will be available on the FDA’s YouTube channel.

Per the CDC, PharmaCare is putting a hold on its April 19th COVID-19 vaccination clinic. Information released yesterday announced the FDA is recommending a pause in the use of J&J’s vaccine “out of an abundance of caution.”

As reported by the Associated Press – In a joint statement Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said they were investigating clots in six women that occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. The clots were observed in the sinuses of the brain along with reduced platelet counts — making the usual treatment for blood clots, the blood thinner heparin, potentially “dangerous.”

The CDC is recommending that people who were given the J&J vaccine who are experiencing severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath with three (3) weeks after receiving the shot contact their health care provider.

If you received a J&J COVID-19 vaccine from one of the Pharmacare WV vaccination clinics, officials ask you to watch for symptoms, as stated above, and call your primary care provider immediately you experience any of them.

Once a decision has been made about the vaccine from the FDA, ACIP and CDC and has been communicated to all vaccine providers, Pharmacare will make a decision about going forward with clinics and with which vaccine is best for our community.

If you have already registered for the April 19th clinic, officials will keep your name and information on a waiting list until a decision has been made. Thank you for your patience.

Through the Frostburg State University university’s twice-weekly testing protocol, 30 positive tests and 3,196 negative tests were identified during last week’s seven-day testing period. The week’s positivity rate is 0.93 percent. The rate remains just below 1 percent and below the region and state positivity rates, but students and employees must remember that the virus is in our community and practicing health and safety measures is essential.

Currently, more than 1,000 FSU students and employees have reported receiving a first dose, second dose or single dose of a COVID vaccine. Additionally, recent clinics for students and employees on campus and in Cumberland, allowed more than 500 FSU students and employees to sign-up for vaccines.

It is important for student and employees to remain especially vigilant about interactions with others. Most positive cases are linked to common social circles and social interactions. Any on-campus individuals that have tested positive have elected to go home or were moved into the off-campus housing contracted for isolation and quarantine purposes. As with all positive tests, contract tracing is ongoing. Disinfection and sanitization protocol for any residence hall areas has occurred with continued follow-up treatments of high-touch areas.

Every member of the university community must obey public health measures and guidance — proper masking, remaining socially distanced, washing/disinfecting your hands and staying away from large, unmasked gatherings — over these final weeks of the semester. Students can reach out to the Brady Health Center by calling 301-687-4310 if they have symptoms or health concerns.

https://www.frostburg.edu/spring2021/testing-dashboard.php

There were Two (2) New Positive cases were reported in Grant County .

1,352 Total COVID Cases

• 1099 Confirmed Positive COVID cases

• 253 Probable COVID cases (Probable cases are those that have a positive result from a rapid antigen test).

• 1,289 Total Recovered

• 32 Active Cases.

• 25 Deaths listed as COVID related​

COVID VACCINE AVAILABLE for ANYONE Age 18 or Older (if age 16-18, Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for this age, CALL LOCAL pharmacies).

There are openings for the

COMMUNITY COVID VACCINE CLINICS

Thursdays in April 2021 Call 304-257-4922

or

CLINIC AT MT. STORM HEALTH CENTER

CALL 304-693-7616

COVID TESTING

Grant Memorial Hospital:

COVID testing hours LIMITED TO TWO DAYS WEEKLY

Mondays and Thursdays 6:00 am- 9:00 am and 6:00 pm- 9:00 pm

Call 304-257-1026 ext. 5

The Hardy County Health Department and Hardy County Office of Emergency Management has two additional confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Hardy County, making 26 active cases, with a total confirmed case count of 1,478. We have had 22 confirmed COVID-19 deaths. We currently have 24 patients in quarantine at home, following proper protocol to protect their neighbors and community. Two patients are currently hospitalized due to severe symptoms of COVID-19. Due to privacy, additional information regarding the persons, area of residence, and travel history will not be disclosed. The Hardy County Health Department has completed the necessary contact tracing to ensure the safety of close contacts and to prevent additional transmission. Hardy County now has 1,430 individuals recovered, included in the total confirmed case count of 1,478.

The Mineral County Health Department has confirmed six new deaths due to complications of COVID-19. These deaths were not recent. Two of them occurred in December, one in January, one in February and one in March and were deemed COVID-19 deaths by the state and previously were not reported to the health department. The deceased includes an 82 year old female, an 84 year old male, an 80 year old female, an 84 year old male, a 75 year old female and a 78 year old male. This brings our count to eighty one COVID-19 related deaths for Mineral County.

The Mineral County Health Department extends their deepest sympathies to the family and friends for their loss. We ask that everyone please respect this life lost by taking care of one another and wearing your masks, getting vaccinated, and social distancing.