As countries around the world rush to vaccinate their citizens as quickly as possible, governments have been looking for every vaccine dose they can find. By the end of February, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved three COVID-19 vaccines for Americans: the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) vaccines. Initially, it seemed that the only difference between the JNJ vaccine and the other two vaccines was that it only required one dose, whereas the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines required two doses.

For a few weeks, many Americans believed that the FDA’s three approved vaccines were more than safe, which was supported by data from several vaccine trials. However, recent reports have linked at least six cases of rare blood clots in Americans with the JNJ vaccine. Shortly after, the FDA recommended pausing the distribution of the JNJ vaccine on April 13.

The FDA’s decision to pause distribution came at rather poor timing for the Hamilton community. Starting Tuesday, April 6, New Yorkers age 16 or older became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which opened up the vaccine to many many more members of the Hamilton community, including students. Some students received the vaccine before April 6 because they had employment or medical reasons that made them eligible.

In response to the state-wide development, the Hamilton COVID-19 Task Force sent a school-wide email on Wednesday, April 7 that listed on-campus and off-campus locations where students could get vaccinated. Some students received JNJ shots at Mohawk Valley Community College on April 11. Many Hamilton students suffered side effects from all forms of the vaccine, including the JNJ option. Owen Scott ’24 said that the JNJ vaccine gave him side effects that ended about 24 hours after he received his shot. His symptoms included a 102 degree fever, nausea, and severe fatigue. When asked about his opinion on the FDA’s decision, Scott said he believed it was a “drastic overreaction” and would substantially slow down the mass vaccination process.

Hamilton’s COVID-19 Task Force responded to the FDA’s announcement by emailing the Hamilton community on April 13. The email advised individuals who received the JNJ shot to self monitor for adverse symptoms, albeit that outcome being extremely unlikely. Vaccination sites across the country and in Central New York are honoring their previous commitments to JNJ vaccine appointments by replacing those doses with Pfizer and Moderna doses. Additionally, Hamilton continues to offer vaccinations on-campus and accessible college-sponsored transportation to public, off-campus vaccination sites.