Officials in Georgia and Colorado pause distribution of J&J vaccine after minor adverse reactions

• Less than 1% of Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients experienced adverse reactions this week.
• But officials in Georgia and Colorado are pausing their use of the shot.
• An investigation is underway to see if there is an issue with the batch being used.

Officials in Georgia and Colorado have paused the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine at some vaccination sites after a few people experienced minor adverse reactions this week.

As The Denver Post reported Wednesday, 11 people experienced reactions after receiving the J&J shot at a mass-vaccination clinic in Commerce City, just north of Denver. With over 1,700 having being given the vaccine that day, that comes out to less than 1%.

On Thursday, Peter Banko, CEO of Centura Health, which was distributing the vaccines, said the company would pause while public health officials investigate whether there is an issue with the batch, The Post's Meg Wingerter reported.

There were no issues earlier in the week, Wingerter noted.

Georgia's Department of Health announced it would pause its distribution of Johnson & Johnson at a site in Cumming on Friday.

The Department of Health said eight people at the vaccination site experienced adverse reactions after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Wednesday. A total of 425 people had been given the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that day.

"There is no reason to believe there is anything wrong with the vaccine itself, and other individuals who have received the J&J vaccine should not be concerned," DPH commissioner Kathleen Toomey said in a statement to Fox 5 Atlanta. "We are looking into what happened and what may have caused the reactions, including the conditions at the fairgrounds such as heat and the ability to keep the site cool."

Officials in North Carolina also temporarily paused its distribution of Johnson & Johnson at several vaccination sites, but resumed its use of the vaccine on Friday.

Public health officials in Wake County had reported 14 people - out of more than 2,300 - experienced adverse reactions to the vaccine on Thursday.

After an investigation into the vaccine, health officials received an all-clear from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention and resumed use of the vaccine, the Associated Press reported.

In a statement, Johnson & Johnson told Insider it takes any adverse reactions seriously, saying it will "carefully assess the events" and share any findings with the Food and Drug Administration.

"There is no greater priority than the safety and well-being of the people we serve," the company said.