After a thorough investigation, the CDC and FDA have concluded that the benefits of the Janssen Johnson& Johnson vaccine outweigh its known and potential risks,  Therefore, CHRISTUS Health will resume administration of the Jannsen Johnson & Johnson vaccine where we have it available.
 
While we know some may be nervous about receiving the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine due to the recent pause in its administration in the U.S., it’s this very pause that reinforces our confidence in it. Although the incidence of blood clots was very rare (six out of 6.8 million people), we fully support a cautious approach to ensuring the vaccinations we are administering to our neighbors and friends each and every day are fully safe and effective and that we share any known, albeit rare, risks.  In addition, we have changed our treatment protocols for women up to age 50 who have possible symptoms of a blood clot disease (sudden onset severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain, shortness of breath) within 3 weeks after vaccination.
 
We continue to advise the public to take advantage of the vaccinations available soonest to them, regardless of brand, as the ongoing risk of COVID-19 infections remains, and is significantly higher than these rare occurrences reported as a result of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
 
However, we have also updated our vaccine scheduling website to make it easier for anyone making a vaccination appointment to see which brand each of our locations will be administering and choose accordingly. Starting April 26, when anyone makes a COVID-19 vaccination appointment using our Christy bot (by clicking on the yellow box after visiting  vaccinate.christushealth.org), they will be able to view the vaccine brand available at that location before finalizing their appointment. If multiple brands are available at the same location, they can choose between brands when they make their appointment.
 
We continue to encourage all of our neighbors and friends to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible, as this is the fastest route to ending this deadly pandemic and returning to our normal activities safely. We at CHRISTUS are so thankful for the opportunity to serve our communities by providing lifesaving vaccinations and safe care every day of the year. Thank you for your trust in us.

We’re not sure yet if the vaccine will provide immunity that last months or years.

Yes, but not immediately. Vaccination should be delayed for at least 90 days to avoid interference of the treatment with vaccine-induced immune responses.

Yes, the vaccine is recommended to all who have had COVID-19 infection, even if you have antibodies. But you should not receive a vaccination until you have recovered from your infection. You’ll know when it’s safe because you will be able to discontinue your isolation.  If you have been exposed to COVID-19, you must wait until after your 14-day quarantine period to receive the vaccine.  No COVID-19 testing is recommended prior to receiving the vaccine.

Yes, it is possible to still get COVID-19 if you have been vaccinated. However, those who were vaccinated in the clinical trials were far less likely to get COVID-19 compared to who were not. In addition, those who received the vaccine in the clinical trials did not have any serious infections (like those that required hospitalizations, etc.).

The vaccines we expect to receive first, from Pfizer and Moderna, require two doses, 21 or 28 days apart. It’s very important that you receive both doses, so please verify that you will be available on the correct day to receive dose 2.

Yes, and practice social distancing, good hand hygiene and avoid large crowds, etc. –all of this should remain in practice for you even after you receive both doses of the vaccine. Until most of us in our community are vaccinated, which will likely take months, we must keep these safety precautions in place. Getting vaccinated protects you, but not necessarily others.

We believe so. Since you can become infected with COVID-19 even after you’ve had both doses of the vaccine, you could pass it to someone else. That’s why it’s so important to continue all the healthy behaviors you’ve adopted to avoid and stop the spread of COVID-19.

You should talk with your doctor. There isn’t enough data to say for sure, so pregnancy and breastfeeding are not immediate reasons to deny vaccination. So women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should discuss the pros and cons of vaccination with their health care professional.

If you miss the second dose we don’t recommend you start over. Instead, we ask that you make an appointment for your second dose as soon as possible.

Side effects are usually mild but include a sore arm at the site of your shot. They also include a headache, fever, chills and fatigue. These side effects will likely only last 24-36 hours and you should be able to continue your daily activities and work. These side effects mean that your body is responding and creating antibodies to COVID-19. However, contact your primary care provider if you experience symptoms such as fever or if the side effects get worse instead of better.

If you have questions about your personal health concerns or history and how that might be impacted by vaccination, we encourage you to talk with your primary care provider, who knows your conditions and your history and can advise you personally.

Yes. To answer this question, we relied on a team of clinical experts, pharmacists, physicians and others with experience reviewing drugs and other therapeutics to determine if they are safe and effective and should be offered at CHRISTUS.

That team decided that yes, despite the speed of development, the clinical trials were appropriate and adequately conducted. CHRISTUS also believes the availability of an effective/safe vaccine is the most powerful tool we have that can help end this pandemic.

However, this is a personal decision, so we encourage you to review the data on these vaccines, ask questions and speak to your personal health care professional about the benefits and risks as they relate to your personal situation.

There were 44,000 participants in phase 3 of Pfizer’s clinical trial and 30,000 in Moderna’s. There were no serious negative events in any of these participants.

• Yes. The position of the Catholic Church is that, in general, vaccines are a moral good preventing disease and saving the lives of millions of people. That’s why, given the scarcity of vaccine, Catholic leaders currently encourage taking the vaccine that is available to you to preserve your health and protect the common good.
• The Catholic Health Association has issued a public statement that indicates they find nothing morally prohibitive with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. These vaccines, which CHRISTUS has been distributing so far, were not developed using cell lines from aborted fetuses. Therefore, both vaccines are morally appropriate to distribute by Catholic health care organizations, including all CHRISTUS Health ministries.
• The Johnson & Johnson vaccine and others developed using fetal cell lines are morally appropriate to use when there is no alternative available. So if the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is available, we will provide it to those who choose to utilize it. Documents published by the Pontifical Academy for Life and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops suggest that vaccines using these fetal cell lines should be avoided when vaccines not developed using fetal cell lines are available.
• We encourage those of faith who may be concerned to review these documents and make the choice in line with their individual conscience.