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District 2 Public Health said it would begin allowing walk-ins Tuesday, April 27, for people seeking the COVID-19 vaccine and appointments for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine starting Wednesday, April 28.

Though appointments were still recommended, District 2 spokesman Dave Palmer said walk-ins would be allowed each day from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at the University of North Georgia site in Gainesville.

Palmer said residents will have a choice between the two-dose Pfizer vaccine or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

“The choice can be made at the time of the appointment or when they come to the site if they walk-in,” Palmer said.

Georgia Department of Public Health officials announced Friday, April 23, that the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would be lifted.

The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and FDA said earlier this month they were investigating unusual clots in several women that occurred six to 13 days after administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 

“The federal agencies advised that a warning should be added to the vaccine about the potential for very rare, but severe blood clots associated with the J&J vaccine,” the Department of Public Health said in a news release. “In particular, women under the age of 50 should be made aware of the increased risk of thrombosis and thrombocytopenia syndrome and may choose to receive another vaccine.”

DPH said there are 211,000 Johnson & Johnson doses in the statewide inventory, and more than 124,000 doses have been administered so far.