COVID-19
Care Center

COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. This type of coronavirus has not been seen before. You can get COVID-19 through contact with another person who has the virus. It is predominantly a respiratory illness that can affect other organs. People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Common symptoms may include: fever or chills; cough; shortness of breath; fatigue; muscle or body aches; headache; new loss of taste or smell; sore throat; congestion or runny nose; nausea or vomiting; diarrhea.

The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine is an unapproved vaccine that may prevent COVID-19. There is no FDA-approved vaccine to prevent COVID-19.

The FDA has authorized the emergency use of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 18 years of age and older under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

For more information on EUA, see the “What is an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)?” section at the end of this Fact Sheet.

Tell the vaccination provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

• Have any allergies
• Have a fever
• Have a bleeding disorder or are on a blood thinner
• Are immunocompromised or are on a medicine that affects your immune system
• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
• Are breastfeeding
• Have received another COVID-19 vaccine.

FDA has authorized the emergency use of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine in individuals 18 years of age and older.

You should not get the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine if you had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient of this vaccine.

The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine includes the following ingredients: recombinant, replication-incompetent adenovirus type 26 expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, citric acid monohydrate, trisodium citrate dihydrate, ethanol, 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HBCD), polysorbate-80, sodium chloride.

The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine will be given to you as an injection into the muscle.

The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine vaccination schedule is a single dose.

The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine is an unapproved vaccine. In an ongoing clinical trial, 21,895 individuals 18 years of age and older have received the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.

In an ongoing clinical trial, the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine has been shown to prevent COVID-19 following a single dose. The duration of protection against COVID-19 is currently unknown.

Side effects that have been reported with the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine include:

• Injection site reactions: pain, redness of the skin and swelling.
• General side effects: headache, feeling very tired, muscle aches, nausea, and fever.

There is a remote chance that the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine could cause a severe allergic reaction. A severe allergic reaction would usually occur within a few minutes to one hour after getting a dose of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. For this reason, your vaccination provider may ask you to stay at the place where you received your vaccine for monitoring after vaccination. Signs of a severe allergic reaction can include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Swelling of your face and throat
• A fast heartbeat
• A bad rash all over your body
• Dizziness and weakness.

Blood clots involving blood vessels in the brain, lungs, abdomen, and legs along with low levels of platelets (blood cells that help your body stop bleeding), have occurred in some people who have received the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. In people who developed these blood clots and low levels of platelets, symptoms began approximately one to two-weeks following vaccination. Reporting of these blood clots and low levels of platelets has been highest in females ages 18 through 49 years. The chance of having this occur is remote. You should seek medical attention right away if you have any of the following symptoms after receiving Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Leg swelling
• Persistent abdominal pain
• Severe or persistent headaches or blurred vision
• Easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the site of the injection.

These may not be all the possible side effects of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. Serious and unexpected effects may occur. The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine is still being studied in clinical trials.

Guillain Barré syndrome (a neurological disorder in which the body’s immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis) has occurred in some people who have received the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. In most of these people, symptoms began within 42 days following receipt of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. The chance of having this occur is very low. You should seek medical attention right away if you develop any of the following symptoms after receiving the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine:

• Weakness or tingling sensations, especially in the legs or arms, that’s worsening and spreading to other parts of the body
• Difficulty walking
• Difficulty with facial movements, including speaking, chewing, or swallowing
• Double vision or inability to move eyes
• Difficulty with bladder control or bowel function

If you experience a severe allergic reaction, call 9-1-1, or go to the nearest hospital.

Call the vaccination provider or your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.

Report vaccine side effects to FDA/CDC Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The VAERS toll-free number is 1-800-822-7967 or report online to https://vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html. Please include “Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine EUA” in the first line of box #18 of the report form.

In addition, you can report side effects to Janssen Biotech, Inc. at the contact information provided below.

E-mail: [email protected]
Fax number: 215-293-9955
Telephone numbers
US Toll Free: 1-800-565-4008
US Toll: (908) 455-9922

You may also be given an option to enroll in v-safe. V-safe is a new voluntary smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to check in with people who have been vaccinated to identify potential side effects after COVID-19 vaccination. V-safe asks questions that help CDC monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. V-safe also provides live telephone follow-up by CDC if participants report a significant health impact following COVID-19 vaccination. For more information on how to sign up, visit: www.cdc.gov/vsafe.

It is your choice to receive or not receive the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. Should you decide not to receive it, it will not change your standard medical care.

Currently, there is no FDA approved alternative vaccine available for prevention of COVID-19. Other vaccines to prevent COVID-19 may be available under Emergency Use Authorization.

There is no information on the use of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine with other vaccines.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, discuss your options with your healthcare provider.

No. The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine does not contain SARS-CoV-2 and cannot give you COVID-19.

When you receive the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine, you will get a vaccination card to document the name of the vaccine and date of when you received the vaccine.

If you have questions or to access the most recent Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheets, scan the QR code using your device, visit the website or call the telephone numbers provided below.

Fact Sheets Website: www.janssencovid19vaccine.com

Telephone numbers
US Toll Free: 1-800-565-4008
US Toll: (908) 455-9922

• Ask the vaccination provider.
• Visit CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
• Visit FDA at https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-legal-regulatory-and-policy-framework/emergency-use-authorization.

Contact your local or state public health department.

The vaccination provider may include your vaccination information in your state/local jurisdiction’s Immunization Information System (IIS) or other designated system. For more information about IISs visit: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/iis/about.html.

No. At this time, the provider cannot charge you for a vaccine dose and you cannot be charged an out-of-pocket vaccine administration fee or any other fee if only receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. However, vaccination providers may seek appropriate reimbursement from a program or plan that covers COVID-19 vaccine administration fees for the vaccine recipient (private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program for non-insured recipients).

Individuals becoming aware of any potential violations of the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program requirements are encouraged to report them to the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, at 1-800-HHS-TIPS or TIPS.HHS.GOV.

The Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) is a federal program that may help pay for costs of medical care and other specific expenses for certain people who have been seriously injured by certain medicines or vaccines, including this vaccine. Generally, a claim must be submitted to the CICP within one (1) year from the date of receiving the vaccine. To learn more about this program, visit www.hrsa.gov/cicp or call 1-855-266-2427.

The United States FDA has made the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine available under an emergency access mechanism called an EUA. The EUA is supported by a Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) declaration that circumstances exist to justify the emergency use of drugs and biological products during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine has not undergone the same type of review as an FDA-approved or cleared product. FDA may issue an EUA when certain criteria are met, which includes that there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives. In addition, the FDA decision is based on the totality of scientific evidence available showing that the product may be effective to prevent COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic and that the known and potential benefits of the product outweigh the known and potential risks of the product. All of these criteria must be met to allow for the product to be used during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The EUA for the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine is in effect for the duration of the COVID-19 declaration justifying emergency use of these products, unless terminated or revoked (after which the products may no longer be used).