How the J&J pause could impact efforts to vaccinate college students in Virginia
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — In Virginia, one potential impact of the current pause on Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine is the pace at which college students can be vaccinated.
Governor Ralph Northam addressed the concern on Tuesday, while speaking at a vaccination clinic in Manassas.
"One of the hopes and goals we had was to try to get college students vaccinated before they went home for the summer, and a lot of that plan relied on the supply of J&J," said Northam. "And so we're going to need to readjust and see what doses are available from Moderna and Pfizer."
Northam and Virginia's Vaccine Coordinator Dr. Danny Avula have both stressed the importance of vaccinating college students, because young people are often driving transmission of the virus.
"We know that young people are vectors and a lot of those are in our colleges and universities, and we really intend to get those folks vaccinated before they go home," said Northam.
But it's a task made more difficult without the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine -- especially with the end of the school year now just weeks away.
RELATED: Virginia to 'cease' use of J&J vaccine until federal investigation is completed
"One of the things J&J offered as a one-dose vaccine is the ability at the end of the school year to go ahead and get students vaccinated, and then they could go go home and not have to worry about a second dose," said Jeffrey McClurken, who is co-coordinator of the COVID response at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. "So this certainly raises some logistical complications for us to try to figure out."
Simply put: it will take more time and more coordination to get college students both doses of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine so close to the end of the school year.
"The complicating factor is for our international students or our out of state students, figuring out ways to help them find that second vaccine," said McClurken. "And a part of this too is, you don't want students to wait to start on the vaccination process until they go home."
McClurken said the concern is greatest for those out-of-state and international students, as opposed to students who may be going home from their college campus to another part of Virginia.
"Ideally if it's within the state, it shouldn't be a problem. Dr. Avula, the state vaccine coordinator, has been very good about working with local health districts and making it clear there are going to be a number of students going home who may need a second dose."
At the University of Mary Washington, he said more than a thousand students have already scheduled appointments for their first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine through a partnership with Mary Washington Healthcare.
"We're actively recruiting. We're encouraging all of our students, faculty, and staff to get these vaccines," he said. "We had not sent any of our students to get the J&J shot, but we did put out a release yesterday, just to make sure they were aware of the J&J pause and make sure they have the most current information."
7News also checked in with George Mason University in Fairfax.
In an update shared with the George Mason community on Tuesday, the school said it "is currently monitoring the national pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine and has no immediate plans to use that vaccine at its clinics."
The university said it's currently administering the Pfizer vaccine to faculty, staff, student workers and contractors, and will continue to do so.
In an April 6 statement prior to the J&J pause, George Mason University President Gregory Washington said that "students will be invited to receive a vaccine later this month, with dates to be announced shortly."
Governor Northam has said he doesn't plan to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for college students, but he is encouraging them to get vaccinated as soon as they have the opportunity to do so.
A spokesperson for Northam's office said the Biden Administration gave governors an update after the J&J news on Tuesday, assuring governors that the U.S. has enough supply through the other two vaccines to inoculate 300 million Americans.
"The White House team indicated that there may be larger allotments of Pfizer or Moderna while there is a pause on using J&J, and we are awaiting more information on how much we can expect. We remain confident that every Virginian who wants a vaccine will be able to receive at least one dose by May 31," Governor Northam's office said in an emailed statement.
So far, the Virginia Department of Health has told 7News that Virginia will receive a slight increase in next week's vaccine allocation (Pfizer and Moderna) that comes from the federal government.
Virginia is now expecting an increase of 15,000 first doses of Pfizer and Moderna for the week of April 18.
