In the latest trap to launch the COVID-19 vaccine in California, the state’s top epidemiologist recommended on Sunday night that clinics wait hundreds of thousands of doses after a series of allergic reactions in Southern California.
An abnormally large number of people have experienced anaphylactic shock, a severe allergic reaction that requires immediate medical attention after receiving a vaccine with the Moderna vaccine at a vaccination site in San Diego, Dr. Erica Pan said in a statement. statement Sunday night. While the number was less than 10, the adverse reaction group prompted the California Department of Public Health to discontinue the administration of approximately 330,000 doses from the batch, which had been distributed statewide, until the investigation was completed.
“Our goal is to provide the COVID vaccine safely, quickly and fairly,” Pan said in a statement. “More than usual number of possible allergic reactions have been reported with a specific batch of Moderna vaccine given at a community vaccination clinic. … Out of an extreme abundance of caution and also acknowledging the extremely limited supply of vaccine, we recommend suppliers to use other available vaccine inventories and discontinue vaccine administration from Moderna Lot 041L20A until the investigation by CDC, FDA, Moderna and the condition is complete. We’ll provide an update as we learn more. ”
The reactions reported at the San Diego clinic were similar to rare incidents that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned and warned to be looking for. In California, vaccination sites monitor recipients on the spot for 15 minutes for side effects. The Southern California cluster was the first in the country on enough to discontinue full use.
The 330,000 doses in the Moderna group are just under 10% of all vaccine doses allocated to California so far. But of the 3.5 million doses the state received, according to CDC data, it administered less than a third, just over 1 million doses. According to the CDC, only five states inoculated fewer residents than California.
Severe allergic reactions, although possible, are considered to be extremely rare in Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. The rate of anaphylaxis in the Moderna vaccine was expected to be about one in 100,000, officials said. Several federal and state agencies have opened an investigation into the cases and said they will have more information by the end of this week.