ER Doctor Talks Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Halt, Resurgence of COVID-19 Hospitalizations in Michigan
Local 4 Medical Expert Dr. Frank McGeorge says he still has faith in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and you should too.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising in Michigan, dashing previous hopes of an early return to normalcy. Michigan is also leading the U.S. in cases, thanks to the spread of both the virus and misinformation. At 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 14, Local 4 WDIV is holding a live one-hour vaccination special “Coronavirus Crisis: The Vaccines.” The program will set the facts straight on vaccine eligibility and safety.
“I still have full confidence in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and would recommend it to my own son.” –Dr. Frank McGeorge, Local 4 WDIV Detroit
This week’s announcement of the U.S. pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has also contributed to vaccine apprehension. Medical professionals like Dr. Frank McGeorge are still urging people to get vaccinated, and to look at the rare blood clot cases (six reported incidents out of nearly 7 million doses) with some perspective.
Listen: Dr. Frank McGeorge on the J&J vaccine pause and Michigan’s rising COVID-19 cases.
Guest
Dr. Frank McGeorge is an emergency room physician for Henry Ford Health and Good Health Medical Expert for Local 4 WDIV. He will be co-hosting WDIV’s live one-hour vaccine special “Coronavirus Crisis: The Vaccines” at 8 p.m. April 14. He says Michigan COVID-19 hospitalizations have recently resurged at a serious rate.
“This past weekend, I put more people on ventilators than I have for many, many months,” says McGeorge.
He says because the contributing factors to these higher cases are unclear, the public should remain cautious. “With these high levels of cases, we need to think twice about doing things that are not 100% necessary,” he says.
Amid the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause, McGeorge wants to reassure the public that the blood clot cases being reviewed are rare.
“People should have an even higher degree of confidence that things are being attended to properly,” he says, adding that the single-dose vaccine should continue to be trusted. “I still have full confidence in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and would recommend it to my own son.”
Web story written by Nora Rhein
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