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The V.I. Department of Health late Wednesday announced that it would stop administering vaccine doses it received from a particular batch of the Moderna drug, the same vaccine batch sent to counties across California that is blamed for a higher than usual number of recipients responding with severe allergic reactions.
"The Virgin Islands Department of Health is carefully monitoring the reports out of California of possible adverse reactions from a particular Moderna lot (041L20A). We have received vaccine allotments from this identified lot/batch in the territory. Fortunately, we have not had any reports of unexpected or severe adverse effects within the territory or among the individuals vaccinated from this specific supply," said the department.
The Consortium reported on the California matter Tuesday. In a statement issued by the California Dept. of Health (CDPH) Sunday, state health officials recommended that local providers pause administration of lot 41L20A of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, after “fewer than 10” recipients at one community center required medical attention over a 24-hour period last week. The statement said the victims appeared to be suffering a severe allergic reaction after receiving the dose.
The lot, which includes more than 330,000 doses of the vaccine, was being reviewed by federal health and drug officials, and local officials have adhered to the request of pausing administration until the lot's safety has been assessed.
Moderna said it is aware of the report and is cooperating with CDPH in investigating the matter. The company said it was unaware of such adverse effects from other sites that may have administered vaccine doses from the same lot.
"Out of an extreme abundance of caution and also recognizing the extremely limited supply of vaccine, we are recommending that providers use other available vaccine inventory and pause the administration of vaccines from Moderna Lot 041L20A until the investigation by the CDC, FDA, Moderna and the state is complete," said State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica S. Pan on Sunday. "We will provide an update as we learn more."
The V.I. Dept. of Health said the current stance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Biden administration, is that the batch not be removed from current inventory. Even so, D.O.H. said it would act with extra caution and halt, for now, administration of the specific Moderna batch.
"At this time, even though CDC does not recommend health departments stop administering this lot or any lot of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, the VIDOH has advised our providers to halt administration of lot (041L20A) while more information is provided about the safety of this lot. We are taking this action out of the abundance of caution," said the department.
D.O.H. Medical Director, Dr. Tai Hunte-Ceasar, sought to allay fears of residents. "COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and have been developed with the same standards as all other vaccines," she said. "Some people may experience side effects after COVID-19 vaccines such as pain or swelling at the injection site or fever, chills, or a headache. These typically don’t last long and are signs that your body is producing the desired antibody response. Over the counter analgesics can be used to treat these mild symptoms."
The department encouraged those who've taken either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine to report any side effects through the V-Safe app, a smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins after you receive Covid-19 vaccination.
