Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Suspends Use Of Moderna Vaccine Batch After Allergic Reactions
Los Angeles Times: California Warns Against Using A Batch Of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines After Allergic Reactions
California’s top epidemiologist told healthcare providers on Sunday to stop using a batch of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine after a “higher than usual” number of people had apparent allergic reactions at a San Diego vaccination clinic. Dr. Erica Pan, the state epidemiologist, said Sunday that “out of an extreme abundance of caution,” providers should stop using the doses until federal, state and company officials finish an investigation. (Nelson, 1/18)
San Francisco Chronicle: Allergic Reactions That Caused California To Halt 330,000 Vaccine Doses Occurred At San Diego’s Petco Park
More than 330,000 doses from this batch, or lot, were sent to 287 providers across the state, including some in the Bay Area. The doses, which expire in July, will not be thrown out. They will be kept in storage until public health and Moderna officials who are investigating the cases know more about what caused the allergic reactions. The state hopes to provide more information this week. “It’s probably prudent to hold them, but every time a vaccine isn’t given out, it’s slowing us down,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician at UCSF. (Ho, 1/18)
CNN: California Pauses Covid-19 Shots From One Lot Of Vaccine Containing More Than 330,000 Doses
Health officials in California are telling medical providers across the state not to administer doses from one lot of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine while they investigate possible severe allergic reactions last week in a number of people who got shots at a community vaccination clinic. More than 330,000 doses from the lot were distributed to 287 providers across the state from January 5-12. (Bonifield, 1/18)
In global news about the Pfizer vaccine —
CNN: Norway Reviewing Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine Deaths Of Frail And Elderly Patients
Doctors in Norway are investigating the deaths of 23 elderly patients who had received the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, looking into the possibility that adverse reactions to the shot "may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients. "The vaccine's side-effects are rare and usually mild. But they could include fever and nausea, which could be dangerous in very ill and frail patients. (Kottasova, Dean and Sealy, 1/19)
Bloomberg: Covid-19 Vaccine-Related Deaths: Norway Officials Say No Direct Link To Shot
Health authorities in Norway sought to allay safety concerns raised by the death of some elderly patients after they were vaccinated against Covid-19, saying there’s no evidence of a direct link. The initial reports from Norway raised alarm as the world looks for early signs of potential side effects from the vaccines. Although doctors say it’s possible that vaccine side-effects could aggravate underlying illnesses, they were expecting nursing-home residents to die shortly after being vaccinated because deaths are more common among the frailest and sickest elderly patients. (Taraldsen and Kresge, 1/18)
