LAKE COUNTY — As students prepare to return to school, some of them may also have to go back to the doctor”s office for shots.
One hundred and two patients who received vaccinations between January and June in Lake County need to be re-immunized because vaccine in the shots was not stored at the correct temperature, Sam Singer with Sutter Health Communications said.
Patients who went to Sutter Pacific Clinic Centers in Lakeport and Kelseyville should call a toll-free number to schedule a visit for free repeat shots.
Two Lake County clinics, eight in Sonoma County, one in Marin County and three in San Francisco were impacted, Sutter Health announced Tuesday. No hospitals reported problems. Singer said the majority of affected patients are 20 or younger.
“I”m a big adult and I”m scared of getting vaccines,” Singer said. “That”s why we are very apologetic.”
Sutter Pacific sent letters informing the more than 3,000 affected patients of the problem, recommending that they be re-immunized, Dr. Anabel Anderson Imbert, chief medical officer of Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation, said.
“The health of our patients is our top concern,” Anderson Imbert said. “This is an issue that we ourselves identified, and although it is not an uncommon problem, we have taken immediate action. We are very apologetic about making people come back for vaccinations, but we want to ensure that everyone gets the immunizations that they need.”
The clinics” quality control programs found that between January and July, the refrigerator storage temperatures for the vaccines might have been too high or too low, which may have reduced or eliminated their effectiveness, she said.
Anderson Imbert said there are no short- or long-term harmful effects from the original vaccine, nor from revaccination, although patients need to be revaccinated.
“Revaccination is purely a precautionary measure to ensure that patients are fully protected,” she said.
Singer said clinics replaced older refrigerators and instituted a new way to log temperatures so staff can make sure the vaccines are stored at the proper temperature.
The clinics will not charge patients or their insurance for revaccinations as a precaution to ensure they receive the proper immunizations. Singer said the costs of the problem will be paid for by Sutter Pacific, not patients.
If patients have a concern about their immunizations, they can call 1-877-657-8987 for information and to schedule visits. Patients can drop by a Santa Rosa vaccination clinic at 3883 Airway Drive on the Third Floor from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays or 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays. If patients prefer, they can schedule appointments directly with the clinics at which they were seen.
Vaccines affected by temperature fluctuations included the following:
Rotavirus Vaccine; Pneumovax Vaccine; Hep A Vaccine; Hep B Vaccine; Act Hib Vaccine; Menactra/Meningococcal; Dtap; Adacel/Tdap; Decavax/TD; Pentacel; Polio Vaccine; Gardasil Vaccine; Afluria; H1N1; Pediarix; Twinrix; Kinrix and MMR.
“Immunizations are tremendously important to individuals and society,” Singer said. “That”s why we take this issue very seriously. It”s important for the patients” health as well as the county.” ?
Contact Katy Sweeny at kdsweeny@gmail.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
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