State: 7,000+ doses invalid or wasted at vaccine clinic
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (KRDO) — State health officials are urging thousands of Coloradans to get revaccinated after getting doses at Dr. Moma’s Health & Wellness Center in Colorado Springs.
The revaccination effort comes after the Colorado Department of Health and Environment investigated Dr. Moma Health and Wellness Clinic after the Joint Vaccine Task Force was alerted of irregularities in vaccine storage and handling.
A total of 3,933 vaccines were adminstered at the location before the clinic was shut down last Friday. CDPHE confirms an additional 3,150 confiscated doses were also thrown out. Those figures show that more than 7,000 doses from Dr. Moma’s were either invalid or wasted.
According to the El Paso County Department of Public Health, Dr. Moma’s Wellness and Health Clinic got on health officials’ radar in the week leading up to April 9. Michelle Hewitt with EPC Public Health said the department received numerous emails and phone calls from people expressing concern about the vaccinations, and some inquired “whether the clinic was in fact a valid vaccine provider.”
On April 9, an official with EPC Public Health and the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response reviewed the clinic’s appointment schedule and found 1,472 individual appointments set for one day. EPC’s statement sent to KRDO on Wednesday says “it seemed unlikely that the size of the facility could support that many appointments.”
A program manager visited the clinic and noted a lack of COVID-19 prevention measures in place, such as masking and social distancing. There were also “unlabeled, pre-drawn syringes” with “no indication of how long they had been at room temperature,” and the program manager noted concerns for improper cold storage in the vaccine draw room and concerns regarding documentation of vaccine administration.
13 Investigates has spoken with several Coloradans who got vaccinated at the clinic and they all describe their experience at Dr. Moma’s as unorganized and chaotic. We’ve made multiple attempts to get in touch with the owner, but we were denied an on-camera interview.
The CDPHE recommends the following:
Those who received one dose of the Pfizer vaccine should receive two additional doses according to the time frames below:
Additional dose of Pfizer 21 days after your initial invalid Pfizer dose was received at Dr. Moma
Final dose of Pfizer 21 days following that dose
Those who received one dose of the Moderna vaccine should receive two additional doses according to the time frames below:
Additional dose of Moderna 28 days after your initial invalid Moderna dose was received at Dr. Moma
Final dose of Moderna 28 days following that dose
For anyone who is unsure of which vaccine they received at the clinic, they’re advised to receive two additional doses of either Moderna or Pfizer vaccine according to the time frames below:
Additional dose of Moderna or Pfizer 28 days after you initial invalid mRNA dose received at Dr. Moma
Final dose of Moderna or Pfizer 28 days following that dose
Patients can make an appointment by clicking here or by calling (1-877)-268-2926.
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