UNC to reopen student vaccine clinic Friday, offer the Moderna vaccine

UNC's first on-campus vaccine clinic opens Wednesday

Boxes of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine lie in the walk-in freezer of the former Wendy’s in the Student Union on March 31, 2021. The CDC recommended a pause in administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six people developed blood clots.

Updated April 14, 3:30 p.m.: UNC will resume operation of the student vaccine clinic on Friday using the Moderna vaccine.

Dr. David Wohl, an infectious diseases specialist at UNC, said neither the Moderna nor Pfizer vaccine has been linked to any blood clots.

UNC is halting Johnson & Johnson vaccinations at the Carolina Student Vaccination Clinic following a recommended pause from the CDC and FDA.

The recommendation is due to severe blood clots reported in six people who received the J&J vaccine. Over 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been distributed nationwide.

The J&J vaccine is the only type currently distributed at the Carolina Student Vaccination Clinic. As of Friday, the clinic had distributed about 3,200 vaccines to students. This pause will remain until further notice at the guidance of public health experts, according to a Tuesday statement.

Any student who has received the vaccines and develops a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact Campus Health or another healthcare provider, UNC-Chapel Hill Campus Health Executive Director Ken Pittman said in the statement.

UNC Health will also pause J&J vaccinations until federal authorities review data and provide further guidance, according to a Tuesday statement. Patients scheduled to receive the J&J vaccine today will be rescheduled or offered a Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.

UNC Health previously paused J&J vaccinations on Friday due to adverse reactions in 4-5 patients who felt faint or light-headed at a Friday Center vaccine clinic.