Unexpected String of Allergic Reactions Causes Delays at ‘Vaccination Super Station’ Near Petco Park

Allergic reactions in some Moderna vaccine recipients caused delays Wednesday at San Diego County’s new “Vaccination Super Station” near downtown’s Petco Park, County health officials confirmed.

Just after 11 a.m., NBC 7 confirmed that some people waiting for their vaccines at the site at Tailgate Park were experiencing delays. Others said they had been turned away.

NBC 7 reached out to those running the station; a representatve said the delay was about an hour long due to logistical issues having to do with more doses of the vaccine arriving at the location.

During the county’s weekly COVID-19 briefing, Dr. Eric McDonald, Director of Epidemiology for the county, said vaccinations were slowed down after allergic reactions were detected in six vaccine recipients.

While allergic reactions are expected in mass vaccination operations, that amount seen Wednesday was slightly higher than expected for that time period so the Super Station slowed down vaccinations so they could investigate, Dr. McDonald said. The site also swapped the vaccines it was using for a new batch out of an abundance of caution, in case the reactions had to do with the original batch.

A county spokesperson confirmed the vaccines associated with the allergic reactions were from Moderna, one of two pharmaceutical companies with FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines.

The Super Station has contingencies in place for any type of reaction. It’s too early in the investigation to know exactly what caused the allergic reactions, Dr. McDonald said.

Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher said the site would continue administering vaccines Wednesday and stay open late to honor all appointments that may have been impacted by the delays earlier in the day.

The location is a partnership between the county, the Padres and UC San Diego Health in an effort to quickly roll out the coronavirus vaccine and administer as many shots as possible to eligible residents.

The site launched with a goal to immunize 5,000 health care workers daily, aiming to administer the coronavirus vaccine to those considered to be in the Phase 1A-Tier of the state’s vaccine priority list.

Health professionals from dialysis centers, primary health clinics, dental facilities and more are eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine now. UC San Diego Health employees will administer the vaccines at the new Super Station.

Fonte articolo: https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/vaccination-super-station-near-petco-park-abruptly-closes/2495604/