The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) halted distribution of a batch of the Modern COVID-19 vaccine – batch 41L20A – after several individuals experienced severe allergic reactions at a single clinic in less than 24 hours. But speaking to Yahoo Life, Dr. Purvi Parikh, a member of the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, said the investigation that state officials launched was “normal and necessary”.
“If they are all true allergic reactions, then it may be a higher frequency than normal, but we need to make sure that they were true allergic reactions, as many other events mimic allergic reactions,” Parikh told Yahoo Life. “We need to investigate what really caused them.” In a statement released over the weekend, California state epidemiologist Dr. Erica S. Pan said the decision to stop vaccine distribution for that batch was made “very carefully.”
“Our goal is to provide the COVID vaccine safely, quickly and fairly,” noted Pan. “A greater than normal number of possible allergic reactions has been reported with a specific batch of Moderna vaccine administered at a community vaccination clinic. Less than 10 people needed medical attention over the course of 24 hours. ”Pan said the reactions were consistent with previous reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and were identified during the“ standard observation period ”(15 or 30 minutes, depending on whether the individual has a history of allergic reactions).
The CDPH statement noted that all individuals “appeared to be experiencing a possible serious allergic reaction”, defined as a type of adverse event that the CDC reports that some people experienced when receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, and that “the vaccine site moved to another batch of Moderna vaccine after closing for a few hours. ”
Allergic reactions have been reported in response to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, but are uncommon. This month, the CDC released a report on the first 1.9 million people to be vaccinated for COVID-19 and found that approximately 1 in 100,000 individuals had a severe allergic reaction to the Pfizer vaccine. The organization found that anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal reaction, is equally uncommon, concluding that the chances of it occurring are 11 in 1 million.
At the moment, it is unclear what may be causing the reactions and how that particular batch of the Modern vaccine may have contributed. But some experts speculated that the answers may be related to a compound present in Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, known as polyethylene glycol, or PEG. Parikh said that although PEG may be the source, experts “don’t know for sure” at this point.
“It seems to be the most likely cause … since the other ingredients, like sugars, lipids and salts, are not very allergenic,” explained Parikh. “In general, allergy to polyethylene glycol is very rare, as it is an ingredient commonly used in many medicines like Miralax or Toradol, as well as in other common products like toothpaste.”
In an emailed statement to Yahoo Life, Moderna acknowledged having received a report on multiple allergic reactions at the facility in San Diego, but added that there is no reason to believe that there will be more. “At this point, Moderna is not aware of comparable groups of adverse events from other vaccination centers that may have administered vaccines from the same batch, or from other Moderna batches,” said the pharmaceutical company.
Moderna said the batch includes more than 1.2 million doses of the vaccine, distributed across 1,700 vaccination stations in 37 states. More than 330,000 of these doses were shipped to California and distributed to 287 providers, but the vast majority remain unused. CDPH was unable to share a timeline for when doses will be released, but Parikh said he should not change anyone’s vaccination plans.
“Americans should not hesitate,” said Parikh. “Reactions to vaccines are still extremely rare. With 400,000 deaths of Americans this year and rising, the risk of contracting COVID-19 and becoming seriously ill or dying from it is much more common. “
To latest coronavirus news and updates, go together on https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and immunocompromised continue to be at greater risk. If you have questions, consult the CDC‘sand Who is it resource guides.
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