The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has stopped distributing a group of Modner COVID-19 vaccines – lot 41L20A – after several individuals experienced severe allergic reactions in a single clinic in less than 24 hours. Dr. However, Purvi Parikh, a member of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, told Yahoo Life that the investigation launched by government officials was ‘normal and necessary’.
“If these are all true allergic reactions, it may be a higher frequency than usual, but we need to be sure that these were true allergic reactions, as many other events mimic allergic reactions,” Parikh told Yahoo Life. “We need to investigate what actually caused them.” In a statement released over the weekend, dr. California state epidemiologist Erica S. Pan said the move to stop the distribution of vaccines from the group was done with a great deal of caution.
“Our goal is to deliver the COVID vaccine safely, quickly and equitably,” Pan noted. ‘A less likely allergic reaction than usual was reported with a specific amount of Moderna vaccine administered at one community vaccination clinic. Less than ten individuals required medical assistance during 24 hours. Pan said the reactions were consistent with previous reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and that they were identified during the “standard observation period” (15 or 30 minutes, depending on whether the person has a history of allergic reactions). .
The CDPH release noted that all subjects “experienced a potentially severe allergic reaction”, defined as a type of adverse event that, according to the CDC, some people experienced while receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, and that “the vaccine after another lot of Moderna vaccine after it closed for a few hours. ‘
Allergic reactions have been reported in response to Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, but are uncommon. This month, the CDC released a report on the first 1.9 million people vaccinated for COVID-19 and found that about 1 in 100,000 individuals had a severe allergic reaction to the Pfizer vaccine. The organization found that anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening reaction, is also uncommon, concluding that the chance of it occurring is 11 to 1 million.
From now on, it remains unclear what could cause the reactions and how this particular group of Moderna vaccine contributed. But some experts have speculated that the reactions are related to a compound known in both Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines as polyethylene glycol, or PEG. Parikh said that although PEG may be the source, experts at this stage “do not know definitively”.
“This seems to be the most likely cause … as the other ingredients, such as sugars, lipids and salts, are not very allergenic,” Parikh explained. “In general, allergies to polyethylene glycol are quite rare, as it is a common ingredient in many medicines such as Miralax or Toradol, as well as in other common products such as toothpaste.”
In a statement sent to Yahoo Life by email, Moderna acknowledged that he had received a report of multiple allergic reactions at the San Diego plant, but added that there was no reason to believe that there were any more will not be. “At this stage, Moderna is unaware of similar clusters of side effects from other vaccination centers that may have administered vaccines of the same fate or from other Moderna amounts,” the pharmaceutical company said.
Moderna said the group contains more than 1.2 million doses of the vaccine, which are delivered to 3,700 vaccination sites in 37 states. More than 330,000 of the doses were shipped to California and distributed to 287 providers, but the vast majority remain unused. The CDPH could not share a timeline of when the doses will be cleared, but Parikh said it may not change anyone’s vaccination plans.
“Americans should not be hesitant,” Parikh said. “Vaccines are still overwhelmingly scarce. With 400,000 U.S. deaths this year and rising, the risk of getting COVID-19 and becoming seriously ill or dying from it is much more common. ”
For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over the age of 60 and those with an immune system are at greatest risk. If you have any questions, please refer to the CDCse en WIE’s resource guides.
Read more about Yahoo Life:
Want to bring lifestyle and wellness news to your inbox? Sign in here for Yahoo Life’s newsletter.