Western states science group backs Moderna COVID-19 vaccine

The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup said Sunday that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, according to a statement from Gov. Steve Sisolak’s office.

The group, made up of immunization and public health scientists, notified the governors of Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington on Sunday morning, the statement read. The Moderna variant is the second vaccine approved by the group, and shipments are expected early this week.

A Pfizer vaccine was distributed to states last week.

Sisolak said in the statement: “I am glad to see the state-level review of the recently approved Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has come to the same conclusion as the FDA: the vaccine is safe and will be a valuable tool toward protecting Nevadans from this deadly virus.

“Nevada’s immunization team has done tremendous work in the last eight months to plan and prepare for this historic distribution process, and the first week of distributing the Pfizer vaccine has gone smoothly. Our team is ready to move forward similarly with the Moderna vaccine once our first allocation arrives.”

Nevada, Oregon and Washington joined California’s COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup in October, according to the statement.