California, COVID-19 Cumulative Cases Reach 3 Million... "Vaccine Allergies Also Confirmed"

Confirmed Cases of Allergic Reactions to Moderna Vaccine

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] California became the first state among the 50 states in the U.S. to surpass 3 million cumulative confirmed cases of COVID-19.

On the 18th (local time), the Associated Press (AP) cited data from Johns Hopkins University to report this. California, with a population of 40 million, recorded its first COVID-19 infection on January 25 last year, and reached 1 million cumulative confirmed cases on November 11, just 292 days later. Then, 44 days after that, on December 24, the cumulative confirmed cases increased to 2 million, and in less than a month, it exceeded 3 million. California has recently seen a sharp spread of infections, with an average of 40,000 new cases and 500 deaths per day over the past two weeks.

Following California, Texas and Florida recorded cumulative confirmed cases exceeding 2 million and 1.5 million, respectively.

Meanwhile, an epidemiologist from the state authorities recommended temporarily halting vaccinations related to the Moderna vaccine, which has been administered nationwide, due to confirmed cases of severe allergic reactions. According to The New York Times (NYT), epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan stated, "At a local hospital, people who received the Moderna vaccine experienced severe allergic reactions requiring hospital treatment," adding, "The vaccine was part of a batch containing a total of 330,000 doses."

The state health authorities issued a statement recommending, "Do not use vaccines from the batch until accurate investigation results are available."

A local media outlet reported that six medical staff in San Diego, California, showed allergic reactions after vaccination on the 14th. In response, Moderna stated, "There have been no reported cases of similar side effects after vaccination with vaccines included in the same package."

California has distributed a total of 3.2 million doses of the vaccine across the state so far, and it is understood that only 1.4 million doses, or 43%, have been administered. So far, only 2,500 people per 100,000 population have been vaccinated, showing a vaccination rate lower than the national average.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.