AS recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. and the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force have announced a “pause” on the use of Johnson & Johnson/Janssen Covid-19 vaccines.
CHCC said all 49 CNMI residents who received the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine had not reported any adverse side effects.
“For people who got the vaccine more than a month ago, the risk to them is very low at this time. For people who recently got the vaccine — within the last few weeks — they should be aware of any symptoms,” CHCC stated.
Until clearance is provided by the FDA and CDC, only Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines will be used at CHCC’s vaccination sites, CHCC Chief Executive Officer Esther Muna said.
In a statement, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said, “I thank our CEO Esther Muna and our public health officials for monitoring this situation closely and adhering to the CDC and FDA recommendation to pause the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine. While no cases of blood clots have been reported here in the CNMI, we will continue to trust in our federal and local public health officials throughout our vaccine rollout as they remain an important tool in protecting our community from serious illness. We continue to encourage everyone to get vaccinated through the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which remain available here in the CNMI.”
Six U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot were reported in individuals, with symptoms occurring six to 13 days after vaccination, CHCC said.
“If you have received the vaccine and develop severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath, seek medical treatment and contact the CHCC’s Tele-Triage hotline at 233-2067 available 24 hours a day.”
Herd immunity
In related news, CHCC CEO Muna said herd immunity is possible by mid-June, in time for the projected target date for the CNMI’s reopening to tourists.
According to the World Health Organization, herd immunity, also known as population immunity, is the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection.
WHO supports achieving herd immunity through vaccination.
The governor on Friday said the CNMI intends to have at least 80% of its population vaccinated against Covid-19 before reopening its borders to tourists.
“We have to work together to make sure that it happens,” Muna said, “and we have to ensure that if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it [safely].”
Passengers traveling to the CNMI still require a PCR test, and will be tested for Covid-19 upon arrival before they are quarantined in an approved facility. They will be tested again five days after their arrival.
But Muna said even if a person is fully vaccinated, he or she still has a chance of testing positive for Covid-19.
However, the significant impact on his or her health will be reduced because of the vaccination, she added.
Vaccination ongoing
To register for the Covid-19 vaccination, visit vaccinatecnmi.com or call the CHCC call center at 682-7468 (SHOT), Monday to Sunday, 7:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
There is also an on-site registration at the CHCC call center at IT&E Chalan Laulau, Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
As of Wednesday, 14,812 CNMI residents had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 — 12,828 received the Pfizer vaccine; 1,935, Moderna; and 49, Johnson & Johnson/Janssen.
There are 19,903 residents who have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine — 17,413 of whom received the Pfizer vaccine while 2,490 received Moderna. None of the 19,903 received the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine.
Community-based testing
As for community-based testing, CNMI Covid-19 Task Force Chairman Warren Villagomez on Friday said the three-member SolGent team from South Korea will arrive in the CNMI on April 21.
The team will again assist the CNMI in conducting community-based testing.
SolGent is a South Korean company that provides the CNMI with Covid-19 testing kits.
As of Wednesday, the CNMI had administered 26,131 tests, 24,894 of which were administered on Saipan, 640 on Tinian, and 597 on Rota.
About 32.6% of the population or 17,542 CNMI residents have been tested.
To date, the CNMI has reported 161 positive Covid-19 cases, 125 of which were identified as inbound passengers, 11 through community screening, and 25 through contact tracing.
Of the inbound passengers who tested positive for the virus, 80 originated from the U.S. mainland, 32 from a U.S. territory, and 13 from a foreign country.
On Saipan, Covid-19 vaccines are administered at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.
Photo by K-Andrea Evarose S. Limol
