Colorado's health department is recommending that people who received their COVID-19 vaccines at a Colorado Springs clinic get revaccinated after a state investigation found the facility improperly stored and handled vaccine doses.
The department said Friday it also is permanently banning the Dr. Moma Health & Wellness Clinic from any participation in the federal government's vaccination campaign. It suspended the clinic April 9 after reports of problems in storing, handling and documenting vaccine doses and in observing patients after they'd been injected.
After consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health department officials sent revaccination guidance by email to nearly 4,800 people listed in the Colorado Immunization Information System as having received vaccines from the clinic. More than 5,300 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered at the Dr. Moma clinic, including first and second doses, the department said.
An April report by an El Paso County public health employee noted a lack of mask requirements, labeling of syringes and temperature logs for the vaccines at the clinic.
The Dr. Moma Health and Wellness Clinic is an aesthetic day spa and run by Sylvienash Moma, who has a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, according to her website. That degree includes advanced training in nursing skills and disciplines.
The clinic was approved through a formal enrollment process with program requirements laid out by the CDC and Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment that the providers agree to, the state health department told The Associated Press in April.
“Dr. Moma met all minimum requirements for participation in the COVID-19 Vaccination Program and affirmed that her clinic would abide by the practices laid out in the program,” the department said.
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