The 10-day halt in administering Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine has made it harder to inoculate the hard-to-reach and hesitant, health officials said, complicating efforts to reach community vaccination goals.
Many people who live in rural and other areas canceled appointments during the temporary pause last month, and many of them haven’t rescheduled, vaccination sites said. Meantime, some people hesitant to get inoculated told pollsters after the J&J halt they were less likely to take a shot.
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“There is a portion of the population that because of the pause, that’s the straw that broke the camel’s back, they’re not going to get vaccinated. They just evaporated,” said Paul Shelton, executive vice president of pharmacy at AdhereHealth LLC.
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Jennie Shukis, a 38-year-old insurance agent from Ledyard, Conn., said the J&J news added to her concerns about the efficacy and safety of all vaccines. She said she prefers to not get vaccinated, though she is still weighing the matter.
“It just seems like every day you see something else. It just makes it scary,” she said. “Is it going to help? Is it going to make it worse? Is it even going to make a difference?”
