PREVIOUSLY:
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Three days after the state stopped administering 330,000 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine due to reports of allergic reactions, California Public Health officials announced that “there is no scientific basis for continuing the break”.
The previously suspect batch, Moderna 041L20A, represented the equivalent of one week of doses for the state. Humboldt County Public Health had 4,100 doses of that batch in its freezer and had already administered some doses to local residents, according to public health officer Dr. Ian Hoffman.
California state epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan issued the following statement on Wednesday night, advising providers that they can immediately resume using the vaccine:
Our top priorities are to ensure that vaccines are safe and effective and distributed equitably and efficiently.
As a precaution, we recommend that providers pause the distribution of the Moderna COVID-19 batch 41L20A vaccine on Sunday night. Yesterday, we gathered the Western States Scientific Review Working Group and other allergy and immunology experts to examine the evidence collected. We had other discussions with the San Diego County Department of Public Health, the FDA, the CDC and the manufacturer, and found no scientific basis for continuing the break. Suppliers that discontinued the vaccine administration of Lot 41L20A from Moderna can resume immediately.
These findings should continue to give Californians confidence that vaccines are safe and effective and that the systems in place to ensure vaccine safety are rigorous and science-based. Members of my family who have qualified to receive the vaccine as health professionals or because of their age have already received the COVID-19 vaccine, and I encourage all Californians to get the vaccine when it is their turn.
See the summary of the working group’s findings.