- Healthcare providers are allowed to again use a specific lot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
- Providers had been told to hold off on using the lot after fewer than 10 people developed allergic reactions after getting the shot.
- All people affected were successfully treated.
Health officials in California have told healthcare providers they can resume using a single lot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
State officials had put a pause on using that lot of vaccine after six people in San Diego experienced severe allergic reactions after receiving the shot.
The people required medical attention after receiving the shot, according to a statement from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
More than 330,000 vaccine doses were distributed to 287 providers across California in early January.
Dr. Erica Pan, California state epidemiologist, said that the vaccines can start to be used immediately after the investigation.
“These findings should continue to give Californians confidence that vaccines are safe and effective, and that the systems put in place to ensure vaccine safety are rigorous and science-based,” Pan said in a statement this week. “I encourage every Californian to get the vaccine when it’s their turn.”
The lot contained a total of 1,272,200 doses, most of which were shipped across the country, according to a Moderna statement.
Thousands of those doses have already been administered.
Severe allergic reactions to vaccines are rare, with vaccine-related anaphylaxis occurring in approximately
However, the vaccine is new, and health officials have been closely monitoring allergic reaction rates.
But out of an abundance of caution, the CDPH recommended that California providers administer other batches until the state, Moderna, CDC, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigate the lot in question.
Now that the investigation has concluded, they’ve said the lot is safe to use again.
Source: healthline