INDIANAPOLIS — Vaccine hesitancy was already an issue with getting Hoosiers vaccinated, but now many are wondering if this Johnson & Johnson pause will have greater implications in reaching herd immunity.
“I was, you know, surprised,” Lexi Gies said. “I’m surprised it took a little while, because at first it wasn’t the most effective vaccine either.”
“It’s new. So I’m not shocked at all,” Charles Smith said. “It’s new. So we are going to have side effects and different things that we’re going to find out about later on.”
Many disappointed people were, as injections of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine came to a sudden halt across the state.
“It’s definitely unfortunate for individuals that now have the anxiety that have already gotten Johnson & Johnson,” Brandilyn Muir said. “Luckily, I had Pfizer so I don’t have to worry about that.”
“Yeah I’m glad I got that one for sure,” Gies added.
Federal agencies called for a pause in using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, after rare blood clotting was found in six patients nationwide one to three weeks after they received their vaccinations.
“I’m glad they’re making this decision, so more effective vaccines can be spread throughout and people could have more access to that rather than something that may not work well,” Gies said.
“It’s a big concern,” Smith said. “I’m not going to take it. If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it. I’m a healthy male. I get myself checked out all the time. There’s just no reason for me to do it. I’m not anti-vaccine. But it’s not going to put anything in my body if I don’t know what it is.”
Some worry the news today will only exacerbate the existing mistrust many still have in our community with the vaccines. People are hoping for clarity, as cases continue to climb in the Hoosier state.
“I think there’s definitely room for that,” Muir said. “I’m hoping that they’ll just be transparent in their findings and hopefully won’t be an issue.”
“I get the whole thing of everybody trying to do something to get rid of this. But if it’s new, we honestly really don’t know what the effects can actually be later on down the line,” Smith said. “So what I’m gonna do, I’m just going to lay back, start watching everybody else get it, watch what happens and if I get sick then I’ll go to the doctor. But I’m fine.”
