Broome Urges J&J Vaccine Appointments to Reschedule Now

While Broome County stopped using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine under the federal pause order, health officials say they have plenty of doses of the Pfizer vaccine for residents to reschedule their vaccinations as soon as possible.

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Local governments are still waiting for a decision by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention on resuming the single-dose shots after officials recommended April 14 that the program be paused while scientists investigate why a handful of women developed life-threatening blood clots days after getting the vaccine.

While waiting for the pause to be lifted, local officials are urging people to sign up for the other shots: Pfizer and Moderna, that are different formulas than the J&J vaccine.

Early April 16, hundreds of appointments were open at the Broome County vaccination site for clinics April 15, 29 and 20 at SUNY Broome Ice Center for the first dose of the two-shot Pfizer regimen.

Broome County is running about three percent above the state average for the number of residents getting at least the first dose of a vaccine.

County Executive Jason Garnar says a media campaign is planned to start in the next few days to further educate residents and to get the remaining 59 percent of unvaccinated residents scheduled for their shots.  He says the county is doing everything it can to get residents vaccinated including helping to schedule appointments and providing rides to vaccination sites.  Garnar says he remains committed to getting a shot to anyone who wants one.

The Pfizer vaccine being given at the Broome County mass vaccination site is the version that is approved for people aged 16 to 18, which is the latest group cleared in New York to be eligible for vaccination.

The County Executive says young people have seemed eager to get the shot which may be key to a more normal return to classes, graduations and proms in the upcoming days and weeks.

To schedule an appointment for the Broome County clinics to go www.gobroomecounty.com