County Officials Working Closely with CDPH to Determine Next Steps
Santa Clara County, CA – Last night, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a statement “recommending providers pause the administration of lot 41L20A of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine due to possible allergic reactions that are under investigation.” More than 330,000 doses from this lot were distributed across the state, including 21,800 doses allocated to the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department for distribution to local vaccine providers. To the County’s knowledge, no doses from this lot of vaccine have been administered to anyone in Santa Clara County.According to CDPH, a “higher-than-usual” number of potential allergic reactions were reported with this particular lot of Moderna vaccine, with “fewer than 10 individuals” requiring medical attention in a 24-hour period. The reactions are under investigation by the CDC, FDA, Moderna, and the state. The state’s recommendation to pause administration of the vaccine from this lot was made “out of an extreme abundance of caution.”
Vaccine providers are required to report any adverse reactions to the federal government through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The County is not aware of any unusual levels of adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccinations within Santa Clara County, but has paused administration of this particular lot of vaccine pursuant to the state’s recommendation while we seek to learn more. As explained by CDPH, “while no vaccine or medical procedure is without risk, the risk of a serious adverse reaction is very small.”
County officials have notified the providers who received doses from this lot, specifically Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Stanford Health Care, and El Camino Health. The County is working closely with CDPH as the situation evolves and will notify the affected vaccine providers and the public as soon as more information becomes available.
