21 Jan 2021

California resumes Moderna vaccine after allergic reaction scare

10:22 pm on 21 January 2021

California's health department says it is safe to continue to use a batch of COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna Inc for inoculation after a pause due to possible allergic reactions.

US firm Moderna said it would file requests for emergency authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine in the United States and Europe, after full results confirmed a high efficacy estimated at 94.1 percent.

Moderna says it is unaware of comparable adverse cases from other vaccination centers. Photo: AFP

On Wednesday, Moderna said it had received a report from the California Department of Public Health that several people at a center in San Diego were treated for possible allergic reactions after vaccination from one lot of its COVID-19 vaccine.

The state health department held discussions with various US authorities, including the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and found no scientific basis to continue the pause, state epidemiologist Dr Erica Pan said in a statement.

Moderna confirmed the vaccine would continue to be administered in California when contacted by Reuters.

Moderna has said it is unaware of comparable adverse cases from other vaccination centers that may have administered vaccines from the same batch as the one in the San Diego centre, or from other batches.

"These findings should continue to give Californians confidence that vaccines are safe and effective," Pan added.

- Reuters

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