Florida sees 7,341 new COVID-19 cases as US lifts pause on J&J vaccine use

ORLANDO, Fla. – The pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been lifted by health officials after advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the benefits outweigh the risks Friday evening.

The government uncovered 15 vaccine recipients who developed a highly unusual kind of blood clot out of nearly 8 million people given the J&J shot, according to the Associated Press. All were women, most under age 50. Three died, and seven remain hospitalized.

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“This pause was an example of our extensive safety monitoring working as they were designed to work—identifying even these small number of cases. We’ve lifted the pause based on the FDA and CDC’s review of all available data and in consultation with medical experts and based on recommendations from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices,” said Janet Woodcock, the Food and Drug Administration’s acting commissioner, in a release.

The FDA said that its teams along with the CDC found the J&J vaccine’s benefits outweigh the risks and that it would continue monitoring the vaccine.

Earlier this week, the European Union’s drug regulatory agency said it found a “possible link” between the J&J vaccine and the rare blood clots, but ultimately decided to move forward using the vaccine with a warning added to the label.

In response to the CDC lifting the pause on J&J vaccines, several county officials responded to News 6 about when they would begin administering the vaccine again. Among the counties, Osceola County’s health leaders will meet next week to discuss whether or not it will move forward using the J&J vaccine. Seminole County leaders said the J&J vaccine would be used again for homebound vaccinations, as long as the individual consents to that vaccine.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Florida reports 4,919 new COVID-19 cases as CDC advisers meet to discuss J&J vaccine use]

Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on April 24.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 7,341 new cases on Saturday, bringing the state’s overall total to 2,203,913 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020.

Deaths

Florida reported 54 new virus-related deaths Saturday, bringing the death toll to 35,497. This number includes the 685 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Saturday afternoon, there were currently 3,271 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since last March, 89,380 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 179 new patients who have been recently hospitalized due to the virus, according to the health department’s daily report released on Saturday.

Positivity rate

The percent of positive results was 6.25% Friday out of 117,497 tests. The numbers reported daily by the state reflect test results from the day prior. Health officials say the rate should remain between 5% and 10% to prove a community has a hold of the virus and is curbing infections.

Vaccinations

The Florida Department of Health began releasing a daily report in December 2020 on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

FDOH reports 5,682,617 people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. These individuals either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or completed a two-shot series.

As of Saturday, 8,443,796 people have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Below is the Central Florida region breakdown of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations for Saturday.

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