A total of 2,458 Humboldt County residents tested positive for COVID-19, after 31 new cases were reported today.
Humboldt County Public Health and local providers resumed using the 041L20A lot of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine after the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced it was safe to administer.
The CDPH asked counties to pause the use of the lot when seven recipients of the vaccine at a single location in San Diego experienced severe allergic reactions. The agency, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and Moderna, concluded that there was “no scientific basis for continuing the break”.
Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Ian Hoffman said he was grateful to the state for acting quickly to ensure the security of the vaccine supply and added that he was excited to resume distribution of all available vaccines. “There is a system for detecting any problem with the vaccine, and that system worked,” he said. “Public health has 3,170 doses available to administer. More than 2,500 of these people have been affected by this break – 600 first doses and 1,900 second doses – and we want people to know that they are safe. ”The rest of the Moderna batch was distributed to local health providers, and everyone is free to resume administration of these doses.
“Given the seriousness of this pandemic, any delay in vaccination is significant, so we are pleased to resume our plans to vaccinate older adults,” said Dr. Hoffman.
On Wednesday, 285 people were vaccinated in public health vaccination clinics with about 290 additional vaccinations scheduled to be administered today and about 400 consultations scheduled for Friday. Local health care providers also continue to provide vaccines to their patients. Nominations are invite-only and are currently prioritized for Phase 1A healthcare professionals who have not received their first dose and residents over 75 years of age.
Suppliers approved to administer the vaccine will contact their patients over the age of 75 directly as soon as the vaccine is available. For those who do not have a provider or whose doctor is not an approved vaccinator, the Humboldt County Joint Information Center is developing an online interest form for individuals to send to be notified when vaccination appointments are available for their priority group . Additional information on the interest form will be released next week.
Read the CDPH update on the Moderna batch at cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR21-025.aspx.
For the latest information on COVID-19, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or during business hours, by contacting [email protected] or by calling 707-441-5000.
Information on the COVID-19 vaccine site: humboldtgov.org/vaccineinfo
Humboldt County COVID-19 data panel: humboldtgov.org/dashboard
Follow us on Facebook: @ HumCoCOVID19
Instagram: @ HumCoCOVID19
Twitter: @ HumCoCOVID19
Humboldt Health Alert: humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert
###