Dr. Erica S. Pan, the State of California’s lead epidemiologist notified counties on the evening of Sunday, January 18th that the use of a specific lot of the Moderna vaccine should be “paused” due to the possibility of higher allergic reactions, as evidenced by a San Diego County Moderna vaccination episode.
The batch in question was used at a mass vaccination event in San Diego, where six healthcare workers experienced allergic reactions to the Moderna vaccine. Dr. Pan states no other batches have been identified with increased reactions.
“The county has reviewed the lot numbers administered through our mass vaccination clinics as well as the inventory stored in our freezer. Upon further review, we are confirming that 100 doses of Mendocino County Public Health’s Moderna vaccine associated with the batch the state is concerned with were used at a vaccination event at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds on January 7th,” says Vaccine Coordinator Adrienne Thompson.
According to Thompson, all 100 doses were administered at the event and comprised a separate order from the State. No adverse reactions occurred. “County staff will be contacting all 100 individuals that received a vaccine with this lot number to alert them of the recall. No other side effects have been noted from use of this vaccine.
With regard to the tracking of vaccines, Mendocino County Public Health is responsible only for vaccine allotments distributed by the State to Public Health.
The state separately allocates and distributes vaccine allotments to Adventist Health, to pharmacies and to Indian Health Clinics. It is up to those healthcare entities to administer, track and report all vaccine data to the state.
“Mendocino County does not have access to their vaccine information or their lot numbers,” notes Thompson. “However, these other vaccine providers are continuing to review their Moderna inventory to compare their lot numbers against the state-identified batch in question.”
Mendocino County Public Health Officer Dr. Andrew Coren states that because these are new vaccines, events such as this are not unexpected, and should not deter the public from getting vaccinated.
“This isolated event has not increased the percentage of vaccine reactions, which continue to be about one person in 100,000. Getting vaccinated continues to be the best way for all of us to help move beyond this virus and return to a normal way of life,” he concludes.
The county’s website, Facebook and Twitter pages are the best way to keep updated about vaccinations and all issues related to Covid-19. For specific vaccine-related questions, please phone Mendocino County’s vaccination hotline at (707) 472-2663 or email DOC-vaccine@mendocinocounty.org.
