Health officials shut down the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) mass vaccination site at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City on Wednesday afternoon, April 7, after 11 people suffered adverse reactions to the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
Medical staff at the Dick's Sporting Goods Park site "determined two individuals required additional observation" and transported them to area hospitals while on-site emergency medical technicians treated the other nine people with juice and water. Some of the side effects reported were nausea, dizziness and fainting.
People are advised to wait in the parking lot for 15 to 30 minutes following their injection to monitor for any immediate reactions.
CDPHE says decision to close the site early "was made out of an abundance of caution"
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) on Wednesday night issued a statement stressing that the side effects experienced by patients at Dick's Sporting Goods Park were "consistent with what can be expected," and that the decision to close the site early was made out of an abundance of caution.
State health officials noted that "in most cases, discomfort from fever or pain after getting the vaccine is normal."
"The state has no reason to believe that people who were vaccinated today at Dick's Sporting Goods Park should be concerned," the health department said in a news release.
Kevin Massey, a spokesperson for Centura Health, which runs the site along with the state health department, said the number of people who experienced adverse reactions amounted to 0.8 percent of the around 1,700 people inoculated at the site Wednesday.
"We followed our protocols and, in an abundance of caution, made the decision – in partnership with the state – to pause operations for the remainder of the day," Massey said. "Our goal is to continue to vaccinate Coloradans as quickly as possible while keeping our patients' safety at the forefront."
Centura issued a statement saying that the 640 patients who were unable to receive their vaccine Wednesday afternoon will be rescheduled for Sunday, April 11, at the same site.
Those scheduled for Sunday will receive the first of two Pfizer shots, as that vaccine had been set for use on that day, state officials said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a one-dose vaccine for the virus as opposed to the two-shot Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which are also authorized for emergency use in the United States. (Related: J&J halts Covid-19 vaccine trial after participant develops "unspecified illness.")
Prior to Wednesday, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) had recorded 10 reactions at Colorado's community mass-vaccination sites, according to the state health department.
"We're committed to providing safe community clinics, and we are so grateful that the clinic today properly observed and helped patients with immediate side effects," Scott Bookman, the state's COVID-19 incident commander, said in a statement. "We know it can be alarming to hear about people getting transported to the hospital, and we want to reassure Coloradans that the CDC and public health are closely monitoring all the authorized vaccines continually."
Bookman added: "Getting a vaccine is far safer than getting severely sick with COVID-19. It's why I got the vaccine, and why I've wanted my family to get it. Based on everything we know, it remains true that the best vaccine to get is the one you can get the soonest."
CDPHE, CDC find "no reason for concern" in vaccine lot used at Dick's Sporting Goods Park
The CDPHE and the CDC investigated the batch of vaccine used at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Wednesday.
"After reviewing each patient's symptoms, analyzing other vaccinations from the same lot of the vaccine and speaking with the CDC to confirm our findings, we are confident in saying that there is no reason for concern," said Dr. Eric France, chief medical officer of the CDPHE. "We are committed to making sure every community clinic is well-staffed with medical professionals who take patient safety with the utmost seriousness."
The CDPHE said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also ran the two lot numbers used at the site on Tuesday, April 6, "and found no worrying pattern of similar events with these lots."
The CDC said in a statement it was aware of some immediate reactions in several states to the vaccines but also said it has found no cause for concern. It related several incidents of vaccine recipients experiencing dizziness, lightheadedness, feeling faint (vasovagal syncope), rapid breathing and anxiety-related sweating following COVID-19 vaccinations in Iowa, Colorado, Georgia and North Carolina.
"CDC is working closely with each of the state and local health departments to evaluate these incidents. CDC has performed vaccine lot analyses and has not found any reason for concern," the CDC said.
The CDC noted that many people don't experience any side effects after getting a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, although some people will have pain or swelling at the injection site or will experience fever, chills or headache.
Meanwhile, state health officials in Colorado said the mass vaccination site at Dick's Sporting Goods Park was prepared to respond accordingly to the symptoms people experienced.
"As a high reliability organization, we are committed to delivering safe, quality whole person care," said Dr. Shauna Gulley, Centura's senior vice president and chief clinical officer. "In partnership with the state, we have designed protocols and put in place safety measures to ensure patient safety at our vaccination clinics."
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