COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) Nearly 4,000 people who received COVID-19 vaccinations at a Colorado Springs medical spa need to be re-vaccinated because health officials have been unable to verify that the vaccines were properly stored there, the Colorado Department of Public Health said Tuesday.
The department stopped vaccinations at Dr. Moma Health and Wellness Clinic on Friday after county health officials observed problems in vaccine storage there. About 3,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were confiscated, according to The Gazette, as the state launched an investigation into whether what was seen by health officials was isolated or not.
On Tuesday, the department said the shots given at the clinic are considered invalid because the clinic was unable to provide documentation that the vaccines were kept at the proper temperature.
No one answered the telephone at the clinic on Wednesday and there was no way to leave a message. According to its website, it offers mostly aesthetic services such as facials, acne treatment and tattoo removal and is led by Sylvienash Moma, who holds a doctorate of nursing degree.
After consulting with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the department released guidance saying that people who received one dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines should should start their two-shot vaccination series over again. People should get a new first shot 21 days later for Pfizer and 28 days later for Moderna.
Those who are unsure should wait at least 28 days before getting a new first dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, with the follow-up shot 28 days later, it said.
Those who received both shots at the spa should get one more dose of the same vaccine, Pfizer after 21 days or Moderna after 28 days, the department said. Those who are unsure can wait at least 28 days and get a final shot of either Pfizer or Moderna, the department said.
The CDC does not recommend that people get more than three doses of any COVID-19 vaccine regardless of validity because of a lack of clinical data, the department said.
In announcing the investigation last week, the department said 3,933 people got vaccinations at the clinic.