GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The CDC’s vaccine advisory committee says that the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine could be linked to an extremely rare neurological condition.
The agency says the vaccine could lead to an increased risk of a rare neurological condition called Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can cause the body to attack its own nervous system.
According to the CDC, about 100 preliminary reports of Guillain-Barré have been detected in vaccine recipients out of 12.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered in the United States.
Prevea Health President and CEO Dr. Ashok Rai says he feels the transparency is what’s necessary.
“Yes, it could cause people who are hesitant to be maybe even more hesitant. But I think when we look at the safety of any medication, any vaccine, these practices are important,” Dr. Rai said.
Michael Landrum, an Infectious Disease Physician with Bellin Health agrees.
“These are really rare events, and remember how common it is to get COVID, and we’ve seen lots and lots of people die in our community from COVID-19, so, we’re only 50% vaccinated here in our local area and we need to continue to encourage people to get vaccinated,” Landrum said.
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson has criticized the COVID-19 vaccines in the past and said in a statement:
“To date, I do not believe federal health agencies have taken the signals from their own safety warning systems seriously. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has now reported more deaths in less than seven months following COVID vaccination, at 5,247, than VAERS has recorded over its 31-year history for all other vaccines, at 5,051.”
Health officials want to remind people that a correlation between the Johnson & Johnson vaccine causing Guillain-Barré syndrome has not been proven.
“Like everything in healthcare, like everything in life, we’ve got to weigh the risks and the benefits, and the benefit of the vaccine far outweighs the very minor risk right now,” Dr. Rai said.
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