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You are more likely to get struck by lightning than blood clot from vaccine

The pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine comes at a time when hesitancy to get the shot was already an issue in Arkansas.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark — Day two of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause has Americans still asking questions about what's next. 

That includes the vaccine committee that gives its independent advice to the CDC. At 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, they wrapped up a five-hour meeting concluding that they need more info. 

Meanwhile, officials in Arkansas urged people to get vaccinated.

Nicki Hilliard, the Director of Professional Affairs for the Arkansas Pharmacist Association, said she wants people to understand just how rare these adverse reactions are. 

"With the Johnson & Johnson vaccine you have a twice as likely chance of being struck by lightning than getting one of these blood clots," she said.

It's quite literally what they call one in a million, according to Dr. Jennifer Dillaha with the Arkansas Department of Health.

"Out of the seven million doses they found six cases, which means that it's a very rare safety event," she said.

The pausing of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine comes at a time when hesitancy was already circling the state, but Dillaha believes the company's transparency could push people in the opposite direction.

"I think it shows commitment on the part of the FDA & the CDC to maintain very high standards for safety, so I think that should increase people's confidence," she said.

Another factor Hilliard believes can boost people's trust is understanding that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine isn't produced like the other two vaccines that are available.

"The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are messenger RNA vaccines and so they are different from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine," she said.

This just means that J&J uses a different method to prime the body to fight off COVID-19. 

A similar method used with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which had blood clot reports in Europe, according to Dillaha.

"These clots are not caused by the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, so if they have concerns about them, then they have options for getting a vaccine that they would prefer," she said.

Those other options are what Dillaha hopes Arkansans take advantage of.

"We want to keep the spread of COVID-19 in Arkansas as low as possible. We are having surges in other states and we do not want that to happen here," she said.

Dillaha said if you are still concerned, reach out to a healthcare provider that you trust who really understands the science behind the vaccine. 

So far, 95% of the COVID vaccinations in the US have been Pfizer and Moderna shots. 

Both companies said their production is continuing to increase and they plan to meet or beat their goals for the month of May.

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