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California health officials are calling for a pause on the use of a huge batch of Moderna’s COVID vaccine due to its ”higher-than-usual number of possible allergic reactions.”
California’s top epidemiologist Dr. Erica S. Pan issued a statement Sunday evening recommending providers pause the administration of lot ‘041L20A’ of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine due to possible allergic reactions that are under investigation.
“A higher-than-usual number of possible allergic reactions were reported with a specific lot of Moderna vaccine administered at one community vaccination clinic. Fewer than 10 individuals required medical attention over the span of 24 hours,” Dr. Pan said.
According to the statement, “Out of an extreme abundance of caution and also recognizing the extremely limited supply of vaccine, we are recommending that providers use other available vaccine inventory and pause the administration of vaccines from Moderna Lot 041L20A until the investigation by the CDC, FDA, Moderna and the state is complete. We will provide an update as we learn more.”
More than 330,000 doses from this lot have been distributed to 287 providers across the state. The shipments arrived in California between Jan. 5 and 12, officials said.
“The manufacturer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are reviewing the lot and related medical information.
“Providers of the COVID-19 vaccine should continue their routine precautions to recognize and manage allergic reactions and potential adverse events,” the statement said.
Health officials expect to provide an update this week. California Gov. Newsom has set a goal of inoculating 1 million more Californians by the end of this week with the first shot of the two-dose vaccine.
