Moderna vaccine tied to allergic reactions greenlighted

The vaccines come as the county records an all-time high case count

Yolo County has resumed use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine batch that saw more reported allergic reactions than usual.

The state suspended use of the Moderna vaccine lot number 41L20A on Sunday after receiving reports of multiple allergic reactions from a San Diego vaccination center. The CDC, FDA and Moderna then investigated the lot.

None of the 1,700 vaccinations from this lot in Yolo County had been distributed before the state paused usage and investigated the batch.

During Thursday’s briefing, Yolo County Public Information Officer Jenny Tan said 1,500 of these vaccines will now be used as second doses, and 200 will be used as first doses.

Due to the fact that the county had to put some vaccinations on pause, vaccination clinics will have to be rescheduled, according to Tan. This will cause a delay in an already straggled process.

Yolo County has distributed 5,284 first doses and 1,053 second doses as of Tuesday, the last time the vaccination dashboard was updated. In total, the county has received 7,100 doses from the state — leaving only 763 vaccines left. Tan said the county is continuously asking for more vaccines from the state.

Wednesday evening’s case update saw 298 confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total cases to 10,609 since the start of the pandemic. The previous highest case count was 281 on Jan. 5. Additionally seven deaths were reported Wednesday, bringing the total to 138. There are 45 individuals in hospital in the county, and one ICU bed available.

With increases in cases and hospitalizations, vaccine supply is essential for bringing relief to the county. Yolo County will run out of vaccine this week if the state does not provide more.

The county is still only on Phase 1A, tiers 2 and 3, and there are still many healthcare workers that need to be vaccinated before Phase 1B can began their vaccinations.

Adults over the age of 65 have been added to the first tier of Phase 1B, due to the fact that they are more likely to develop serious illness from COVID-19. However increased eligibility does not matter if the state does not supply more vaccine.

“There are over 25,000 residents in Yolo County that are over 65 years of age,” Tan explained. “If we only receive 1,000 vaccines to start with, for example, there will still need to be some sort of prioritization. When everyone is a priority, no one is a priority.”

Yolo County officials have expressed hope that Joe Biden’s administration will offer a better response to vaccinations and the pandemic at-large.

“The Biden administration has indicated that it is committed to distributing large numbers of COVID vaccine quickly, pushing for the administration of 100 million doses in 100 days,” stated Dr. Aimee Sisson, the county’s public health officer. “I am hopeful that this will bring more doses into Yolo County so that we can rapidly vaccinate our health care workers and older adults.”