“Pausing” The Johnson and Johnson Vaccine Is An Overreaction

Back on St. Patrick's Day--My wife and I (and Gwen!) got the Johnson and Johnson COVID vaccine shots at CVS in Midland. We've all been fine ever since, with a few very mild side effects like muscle aches and a metallic taste in my mouth and a little nausea on the first night. And that wasn't uncommon. And truth be told it's not uncommon for ANYONE who's gotten ANY of the vaccines that are available--to have had SOME kind of reaction / side effects after injection. What you hear the MOST about is people who get the second injection of the Moderna vaccine having the worst reactions and side effects. In fact, a 39-year old woman in Utah died at the beginning of March this year--4 days after getting the Moderna vaccine.

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Yet--Federal Health officials haven't "Paused" the Moderna shots, nor have they "paused" the Pfizer shots with many having reactions to those as well. I'm not typically a conspiracy theorist but I truly don't understand the set of circumstances, solely based on the numbers alone--that would warrant any kind of "pause" at this point. There have been over 6.8 million people who have gotten the Johnson and Johnson vaccine--and a total of 6 people have had bad reactions. I'm not trying to be insensitive to the woman who lost her life. It's a risk you take in any situation like this when you get any kind of injection or take any kind of medicine you haven't ever taken before.

You can have an allergic reaction with dire consequences no matter what the situation or medication if you haven't ever taken it before--you don't know how your body will react. Which is the same scenario with the COVID virus itself. No one knows for sure how their own bodies will react if infected because it's different for everyone. Yes there are some common symptoms like loss of small and loss of taste, but there are also variables like what affect, if any, will the virus have on someone's respiratory system and breathing. The bottom line is things like this can happen--but they are NOT common. Not at all.

Strictly speaking by the numbers--with 6.8 million doses of the J & J vaccine being administered--and 6 people having these problems... There's a one million one hundred and thirty three thousand three hundred and thirty three (1,133,333) percent chance it'll happen to YOU. It's safe and it's easier to get the one shot and be good to go-here's hoping they hit "unpause" soon so that the country can go back to having a choice. I'm glad we went the way we did.