County has vaccine from allergic reaction case

CHOMP administers doses from affected lot with 'no significant side effects'

SALINAS >> Monterey County has received doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that was put on hold Sunday under an order from the California health officer due to a possible link to a potential allergic reaction.

“The hospitals did receive vaccine from the lot and some was on its way to clinics,” said Karen Smith, Monterey County Health Department spokesperson. “The vaccine has been pulled from inventory.”

California State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan 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 have been distributed to 287 providers across the state from shipments that arrived in California between Jan. 5-12. The state has not been notified of any other cluster of individual events related to this lot, according to Pan’s statement.

The manufacturer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Food and Drug Administration are reviewing the lot and related medical information. Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula received 2,800 of the doses said Hospital spokeswoman Monica Sciuto.

Of those doses, 1,070 have been administered to people but there were no significant side effects.

“We have paused administration of this lot number until we receive further direction from Moderna and California Department of Public Health,” said Sciuto.

Natividad hospital reported that it also received vaccine from the Moderna lot in question, but it has not administered any of the 1,400 doses and will follow state guidance.

Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System received 1,400 doses from the impacted lot but has not administered any of it.

Karina Rusk, SVMHS spokeswoman said the hospital is waiting for additional communication from the government agencies involved.

According to the Monterey County Health Department website, the county has so far received

24,150 doses of vaccine — 9,750 from Pfizer and 14,400 from Moderna.

Mee Memorial Hospital in King City did not reply in time for this report.

The recommendation that providers pause administering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from lot 041L20A came about after a higher-than-usual number of possible allergic reactions were reported with the specific lot given at one community vaccination clinic in San Diego. Fewer than 10 individuals required medical attention over the span of 24 hours.

The state said it expects to have an update this week about the Moderna vaccine lot 041L20A.

In addition to this latest disruption in COVID-19 vaccine distribution, a variant of SARSCoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been identified in Monterey County along with other counties across the state.

The 452R variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 has previously been detected in other countries and states, was first detected last year and is potentially more infectious. It is different from the B.1.1.7 variant first detected in the United Kingdom.

“The clinical and epidemiological significance of this strain is not known and is being investigated,” said Dr. Edward Moreno, Monterey County Health Officer, in a press release. “Also concerning is that this case represents the first local evidence of infection, recovery, and repeat infection.”

The 452R variant has been identified using genetic sequencing in multiple counties across the state and is now increasingly found in multiple counties including Humboldt, Lake, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Clara counties.

As the number of specimens tested to monitor for variant strains has increased at California labs, the 452R variant has been identified more frequently since November, said the county.

The California Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local public health departments, and laboratory partners are working together to learn more about the variant, including how it spreads and any potential impact on vaccine efficacy.

The Monterey County Health Department says that due to the ongoing surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, regardless of circulating variants, it asks that all county residents continue steps to limit transmission of the virus and reduce strain on health care systems including staying at home, wearing a mask outside the home, limiting interactions with others outside the immediate household, social distancing of at least 6 feet apart, frequently washing hands for at least 20 seconds and getting the vaccine when it is available.

For more information about COVID-19 and the vaccines used to combat its spread, visit the Monterey County Health Department website.