The program was paused Friday night after four employees experienced reactions shortly after receiving the vaccine. Officials said there were no other cases reported to attorney Aurora Health.
“So the immediate concern was if there was something wrong with this batch of vaccines, but after discussing with our health departments and also understanding that the same batch of vaccine was used in many other places, both inside and out of the health of Advocate Aurora, and no other serious concerns were reported. We believe there are really no concerns about the integrity of the vaccine, “said Drs. Robert Citronberg, executive medical director of infectious disease prevention.
One of the four cases appeared to be a severe allergic reaction. The staff member is doing well and was discharged on Saturday. The other three experienced mild reactions that can occur after the vaccine.
LIST: Side effects of the CDC COVID-19 vaccine
“I can tell you that one of the team members who had a milder reaction was discharged at home was a doctor from our medical staff and we contacted that doctor [Saturday] that he was doing very well and said he is absolutely 100% of the continuous vaccination of our population, ”said Dr. Citronberg.
The Lake County Department of Health issued a statement:
“As COVID-19 vaccines are developed throughout Lake County, we continue to monitor their safety and effectiveness closely. Adverse reaction control is part of the standard process with vaccines and it is not unexpected to see that they produce some minor reactions, because some people respond to vaccinations differently than others. “
As a precaution, Advocate Aurora Health increases the post-vaccine evaluation period to 30 minutes for all people in all of their locations. They continue to encourage employees to get vaccinated, but it is not mandatory.
SEE: Dismantling rumors and myths about the COVID-19 vaccine
Vaccinations at the other eight Advocate Aurora Health locations in Illinois, as well as at all three Wisconsin locations, continued without delay, according to Advocate Aurora Health.
Copyright © 2020 WLS-TV. All rights reserved.