California calls for an interruption of distribution of a specific lot of Moderna vaccine following reported allergic reactions

Health officials in California are recommending a temporary cessation of distribution of a particular lot of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine over concerns about allergic reactions.

More than 330,000 doses of the affected batch were distributed to 287 health care providers across California earlier this month.

A specific community vaccination clinic reported up to 10 allergic reactions to the vaccine within a 24-hour period, which is considered an unusually high number. State officials say the expected response rate to similar vaccines is normally around 1 in 100,000.

The clinic’s name and location were not released, but the facility switched to a different batch of Moderna vaccines after several hours of shutdown. No other cluster of allergic reactions has been reported.

State officials are investigating what happened at the clinic, and in the meantime, state epidemiologist Dr. Erica S. Pan recommends that no doses of Moderna lot 41L20A be distributed for the time being.

“Out of extreme caution, and also because we recognize the extremely limited supply of vaccines, we are recommending providers to use other available vaccine inventory and to suspend Moderna Lot 041L20A vaccine administration until investigation by the CDC, FDA, Moderna and the state. Complete, “Pan said on Sunday.” We’ll provide an update when we find out more. ”