Vaccine Site Closes Early After 11 Have Side Effects

A vaccination site in Colorado closed early on Wednesday when 11 people experienced nausea and dizziness after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, reports USA Today. Health officials said in a statement that they made the move out just to be safe, and that no serious problems were suspected. Two people were taken to hospitals for further observation "out of an abundance of caution," and the other nine were treated by EMTs at the site in Commerce City with juice and water. The 11 represented less than 1% of the 1,700 who received the J&J vaccination that day. More than 600 people were rescheduled to receive their vaccination on Sunday, when the Pfizer version will be distributed as part of the usual rotating schedule.

"We know it can be alarming to hear about people getting transported to the hospital, and we want to reassure Coloradans that the CDC and public health are closely monitoring all the authorized vaccines continually," says Scott Bookman, COVID-19 incident commander at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, per NPR. "From what we know, today's side effects were consistent with what can be expected." Before Wednesday, federal vaccine officials had recorded 10 adverse reactions at mass-vaccination sites in the state. (In the UK, health officials say those under 30 can avoid the AstraZeneca vaccine because of the risk of blood clots.)