The California epidemiologist last night recommended at local health offices to suspend the administration of a single amount of COVID-19 vaccines, after an excessive number of serious side effects were reported at a vaccination clinic in San Diego.
The lot, Moderna 041L20A, consists of 330,000 doses, a week’s vaccinations for the state, and as much as 90% of the doses that public health in Humboldt County has available for vaccinations at its clinics this week.
Health Officer Dr. Ian Hoffman said public health officials in Humboldt County administered ‘hundreds’ of doses without any serious or unusual reactions.
The lot number is on the COVID-19 vaccination card given to individuals at the time of vaccination. Any adverse reaction will occur immediately, usually within the first few minutes and certainly within 24 hours.
No vaccine from the lot has been administered by Public Health or its partners during the past 24 hours, and nothing from the lot is administered until or unless the state determines that the lot is safe to use.
Humboldt County Public Health has 3,500 doses of Moderna 041L20A in its freezer, 1,600 for first doses and 1,900 for second doses. Local suppliers have additional doses, but with “no replacement options at the moment,” Dr Hoffman said.
Public health clinics scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week may be affected by the break. People with appointments or invitations to be vaccinated will be contacted if the appointments need to be canceled or rescheduled.
Dr. Hoffman also said that it is possible for the state to decide that the vaccine is safe and release the rest of the lot. “It is clear that the goal for all of us is to keep people safe,” said Dr. Hoffman said. “We will stand still as recommended until we hear more from the state, but without replacement doses we are balancing one set of risks against another.”
The manufacturer, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, are leading the investigation into the fate.
Follow this link to view the California Department of Public Health news release: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR21-021.aspx
The Joint Information Center will have additional information on this tomorrow.
For the latest COVID-19 information, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or during business hours by contacting [email protected] or calling 707-441-5000.