COVID-19 Vaccines for Children 6 Months to 4 Years to Be Available Soon

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June 17, 2022

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized emergency use of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to include use in children 6 months of age and older.

For the Moderna vaccine, the FDA amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) to include use of the vaccine in individuals 6 months through 17 years of age. The vaccine had been previously authorized for use in adults 18 years of age and older. For the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the FDA amended the EUA to include use of the vaccine in individuals 6 months through 4 years of age. The vaccine had been previously authorized for use in individuals 5 years of age and older.

The FDA’s evaluation and analysis of the safety and effectiveness data of these vaccines was comprehensive and rigorous. Prior to making the decision to authorize these vaccines, the FDA’s independent Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee was consulted and voted in support of the authorizations.

Before these vaccines can be made available, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices must vote on whether to recommend them–a vote is scheduled for this weekend—as well as the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.

When fully authorized, Skagit County Public Health will offer these vaccines at its downtown Mount Vernon clinic at 700 S 2nd Street (3rd floor). To best serve the public and to account for increased demand, all COVID vaccines will be made available at the Public Health clinic by appointment only over the next two weeks.

Please note: Vaccines appointments for this newly authorized group are not yet available at this time. Once Public Health has approval to move forward, appointments will be added to the website at www.skagitcounty.net/COVIDvaccine. For those who need assistance scheduling, please call the Public Health office at (360) 416-1500.

To make an appointment with a different vaccine provider, use the Vaccine Locator online tool at https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/ or call the state hotline at 1-800-525-0127.

Las vacunas COVID-19 para niños de 6 meses a 4 años estarán disponibles pronto

17 de junio de 2022

Hoy, la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos de los Estados Unidos (FDA) autorizó el uso de emergencia de la vacuna Moderna COVID-19 y la vacuna Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 para incluir el uso en niños de 6 meses de edad en adelante.

Para el Caso Moderna vaccine, la FDA enmendó la autorización de uso de emergencia (EUA) para incluir el uso de la vacuna en personas de 6 meses a 17 años de edad. La vacuna había sido previamente autorizada para su uso en adultos mayores de 18 años. Para pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, la FDA enmendó la EUA para incluir el uso de la vacuna en individuos de 6 meses a 4 años de edad. La vacuna había sido previamente autorizada para su uso en personas de 5 años de edad y mayores.

La evaluación y el análisis de la FDA de los datos de seguridad y eficacia de estas vacunas fue exhaustivo y riguroso. Paratomar la decisión de autorizar estas vacunas, se consultó y votó a favor de las autorizaciones al Comité Asesor de Vacunas y Productos Biológicos Relacionados independiente de la FDA.

Antes de que estas vacunas puedan estar disponibles, el Comité Asesor sobre Prácticas de Inmunización de los CDC  debe votar si las recomienda , una votación está programada para este fin de semana, así como el Grupo de Trabajo de Revisión de Seguridad Científica de los Estados Occidentales.

Cuando esté totalmente autorizado, Skagit County Public Health ofrecerá estas vacunas en su clínica del centro de Mount Vernon en 700 S 2nd Street (3rd floor). Para servir mejor al público y tener en cuenta el aumento de la demanda, todas las vacunas COVID estarán disponibles en la clínica de Salud Pública con cita previa solo durante las próximas dos semanas.

Tenga en cuenta: Las citas de vacunas para este grupo recién autorizado aún no están disponibles en este momento. Una vez que Salud Pública tenga la aprobación para seguir adelante, las citas se agregarán al sitio web en www.skagitcounty.net/COVIDvaccine. Para aquellos que necesitan asistencia para programar, llame a la oficina de Salud Pública al (360) 416-1500.

Para hacer una cita con un proveedor de vacunas diferente, use la herramienta en línea Del localizador de vacunas en https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/ o llame a la línea directa estatal al 1-800-525-0127.

Pfizer COVID-19 Boosters Now Authorized for 16- and 17-year old’s

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December 9, 2021

Today, the FDA amended the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, authorizing the use of a single booster dose for administration to individuals 16 and 17 years of age at least six months after completion of primary vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. This means that 16- and 17-year old’s can now get a Pfizer booster dose 6 months after their second dose of Pfizer vaccine.

Beginning immediately, Skagit County Public Health will provide booster doses for these newly eligible individuals—BY APPOINTMENT—at the Skagit County Public Health Office, located at 700 S 2nd Street (3rd floor) in downtown Mount Vernon, as well as the Skagit County Fairgrounds, located at 501 Taylor Street in Mount Vernon.

The Downtown Booster Clinic will operate Monday-Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Fairgrounds Booster Clinic will operate Mondays, Tuesday, Thursdays, and Fridays from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Appointments can be scheduled online by going to https://prepmod.doh.wa.gov/ and searching for “Skagit County Public Health” under the Name of Location box. For assistance, call Public Health at (360) 416-1500.

Appointments are limited at this time. If no appointments appear to be available when you search online, please know that new appointments will be added each Monday at 9:00 a.m.

Please be sure that you are scheduling for a Booster Clinic appointment and select the Pfizer vaccine option. Be sure to note which clinic location you have signed up for.

No insurance is required for these clinics. Please bring your Vaccination Card with you to your appointment. Consent to vaccinate will also be required from the minor’s parent or legal guardian and can be provided either in-person or by phone at the time of the appointment.

As a reminder, prime COVID-19 vaccinations and antigen testing are still available at the Skagit County Fairgrounds location until the site closes permanently after January 28. Pediatric vaccines are also provided at this location by appointment only.  

For a full list of vaccination providers in Skagit County, visit our website at www.skagitcounty.net/COVIDvaccine or call the COVID-19 Information Hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press #. 

Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available at the Fairgrounds

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November 3, 2021

Skagit County Public Health is ecstatic to announce that pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is now available at its drive-through Testing and Vaccine Site at the Fairgrounds. This announcement follows the FDA’s endorsement on October 29, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices unanimous vote on November 2, and the subsequent support of the Western States Scientific Review Workgroup and the Washington State Department of Health.  

Children are not immune to this virus and the great challenges it poses to everyday life. The CDC’s latest data show that 172 children ages 5 to 11 have died from COVID-19 and more than 8,300 have been hospitalized. Science also does not yet know the long term impacts children could face from having contracted and recovered from COVID-19.

“In Skagit County, approximately 25 percent of all our COVID-19 cases between September 5 and October 23 were in school age children. Pediatric vaccines will be a game changer in our fight against this virus.”

Howard Leibrand, Skagit County Health Officer

Pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is available to children 5-11 years old at the Fairgrounds by appointment only. Parents and caregivers can now make an appointment by going to https://prepmod.doh.wa.gov/ and searching for “Skagit County Public Health” under Name of Location. Appointments are limited at this time. If, when you search, there are no appointments available, please check back the following Monday around 12:00pm.

Parents/caregivers may also check with other providers about availability. For a full list of local vaccination providers, go to Vaccine Locator or call the COVID-19 Information Hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press #.

The Fairgrounds is located at 501 Taylor Street in Mount Vernon and operates on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 3pm to 7pm. Parent/guardian consent to vaccinate is required for all dependent minors and must be provided in-person at the time of the appointment.

COVID-19 vaccines are provided at no-cost, and no insurance required. For more information about the site, go to: www.skagitcounty.net/COVIDvaccine or call (360) 416-1500.

Booster? Third Dose? What’s the Difference?

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You’ve probably heard…Pfizer booster doses are now authorized for certain individuals. But what does this mean? And what is the difference between a Booster and a third dose? After all, haven’t third doses been available for a while now?

If you are confused, you’re not alone! Have questions? We’ve got your answers!

What’s the difference between a third dose and a booster?

These terms shouldn’t be used interchangeably! They do—in fact—mean two separate things.

A third dose (also known as an additional dose) is for people who are immunocompromised. Sometimes people who are immunocompromised do not build enough protection when they first get fully vaccinated. When this happens, getting another dose of a vaccine can help them build more protection against the disease. Third doses of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine are currently available for certain immunocompromised individuals.

A booster refers to a dose of a vaccine that is given to someone who built enough protection after vaccination, but that protection decreased over time (waning immunity). This is why you need a tetanus booster every 10 years, because the protection from your childhood tetanus vaccine wanes over time. Only Pfizer boosters are currently available for certain populations.

Am I eligible for a third dose?

Currently, the CDC is recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive a third dose. This includes people who have:

  • Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
  • Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
  • Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
  • Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
  • Advanced or untreated HIV infection
  • Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response

People should talk to their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting a third dose is appropriate for them.

A person receiving a third dose should get it at least 28 days after dose two. When possible, the individual should receive the same vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer) as the first two doses but may receive the other mRNA vaccine brand if the original vaccine is not available.

At this time, no third dose is recommended for people who had the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine. People who received J&J should not get a second dose of either J&J or a dose of an mRNA vaccine. Additionally, people with competent immune systems should not receive a third dose.

Am I eligible for a booster?

At this time, only Pfizer Boosters are authorized, and are only for specific groups. First off, only those who received a first and second dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine should seek out a booster dose at this time. Those who initially received Moderna or J&J will need to wait (see more about this below).

It is recommended that the following people receive a Pfizer booster dose:

  • People 65 and older
  • People 18 and older living in long-term care settings
  • People 50 – 64 with underlying medical conditions or those at increased risk of social inequities

Additionally, the following people may receive a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine:

Eligible people will need to wait to receive their Pfizer booster until at least 6 months after their second dose of Pfizer. This means that—at the time of this article—only those who received their second dose in March or earlier should seek out a booster.

Additional populations may be recommended to receive a Pfizer booster shot as more data become available.

Is a third dose or booster really necessary?

A third dose may prevent serious and possibly life-threatening COVID-19 disease in people with compromised immune systems who may not have responded to their initial vaccine series.

Although we still have much to learn, early findings are very encouraging. Research published by the Israeli Health Ministry suggests that a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine significantly improves protection for those 60 and older from infection and serious illness, compared to those who received just two doses.

As for boosters, the COVID-19 vaccines continue to be very effective at reducing the risk of severe disease. Data show that protection against COVID-19 from vaccination begins to decrease over time as it does with other diseases like tetanus or whooping cough.

Paired with the dominance of the delta variant, we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease. As a result, the CDC now recommends booster shots for certain individuals to increase—and extend—protection against the virus.

What if I got Moderna or the J&J single dose vaccine?

At this time, there are not yet booster recommendations for people who received the Moderna or J&J COVID-19 vaccines. The CDC and FDA will evaluate data in the coming weeks and may make additional recommendations for other vaccine types.

How can I make an appointment?

If you’re looking for a third dose of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, talk with your health care provider first to make sure that a third dose is right for you. If so, there are many vaccine provider locations available to you, including the Skagit County Fairgrounds.  

Looking for a Pfizer booster? Use the Vaccine Locator online tool, check in with your local pharmacy, or give the COVID Hotline a call at 1–800–525–0127, then press #.

Folks can also schedule an appointment for a Pfizer booster at the Skagit County Fairgrounds. To make an appointment, use the PrepMod online appointment finder and search for “Skagit County Public Health” under Name of Location.

Please note that appointments are limited at this time. If no appointments appear when you search, check back the following Monday for newly added appointments. The COVID Hotline is also available if you need further assistance: 1–800–525–0127, then press #.

What should I bring with me?

When seeking out a third dose or booster, please remember to bring your Vaccination Card with you! Can’t find it? Visit MyIR Mobile to pull your vaccination record or call the State COVID-19 Hotline for assistance at 1–800–525–0127, then press #.

Third dose of COVID-19 vaccine now recommended for certain immunocompromised individuals

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August 16, 2021

The Washington Department of Health (DOH) released a statement on Saturday, August 14 providing guidance to health care providers regarding administration of third doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to certain immunocompromised individuals. This statement follows recommendations made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP), and Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.

While authorized vaccines have proven to be more than 90% effective in protecting against most variants, emerging data suggest people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems do not always build the same level of immunity compared to people who are not immunocompromised. The third dose is not considered a booster, rather an additional dose for individuals who did not adequately develop immunities with the initial two-dose series.

People are asked to speak with their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them. CDC does not recommend additional doses or booster shots for any other population at this time.

Currently, CDC is recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional dose. This includes people who have:

  • Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
  • Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
  • Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
  • Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
  • Advanced or untreated HIV infection
  • Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response

A full list of conditions is available on the CDC’s website.

A person receiving a third dose should get it at least 28 days after their second dose. When possible, the individual should receive the same vaccine as the first two doses but may receive the other mRNA vaccine brand if the other vaccine is not available. 

There is not enough data at this time to determine whether immunocompromised people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine also have an improved antibody response following an additional dose of the same vaccine. At this time, no additional dose is recommended for people who had the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. People who received J&J should not get a second dose of either J&J or a dose of an mRNA vaccine.

While a third dose of vaccine is likely to increase protection, people who are immunocompromised should continue to wear a mask, maintain 6 feet of social distancing, avoid crowds, and avoid poorly ventilated indoor spaces. Close contacts of immunocompromised people are also strongly encouraged to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to further increase protection for those at greater risk.

Skagit County Public Health will now make third doses available to immunocompromised individuals at pop-up vaccine clinics and at our weekly vaccine clinic on Wednesday evenings from 6-9pm at the County Administrative Building (700 S 2nd St, Mount Vernon, WA 98273). Please bring your Vaccination Card with you when seeking a second or third dose. For information about our clinics, go to www.skagitcounty.net/COVIDvaccine or call (360) 416-1500.

To find a full list of vaccine providers near you, go to: https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/. For assistance call the COVID-19 Information Hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press #. Language assistance is available.

Disposing of Used Sharps in Skagit County

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Millions of people use needles, syringes, and other injection tools to self-administer healthcare treatments each year. People use sharps to manage a wide variety of conditions, including allergies, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, infertility, migraines, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, blood clotting disorders, psoriasis, and more.

If someone doesn’t have immediate access to an FDA-cleared container, it can be unclear how to dispose of used sharps. Disposal rules can vary by situation and location, which may lead to sharps being disposed of loosely—and improperly—in the trash.  Adding to possible confusion, disposal options are different for businesses and household-generated sharps waste.

For HOUSEHOLD-generated Sharps

An example of an FDA-cleared Sharps Container. For information about Sharps Disposal Containers, check out the FDA webpage.

The best way to dispose of sharps is by using a mail-order, FDA-cleared sharps container. When purchasing this type of container, people can mail back their full containers to the mail-order service that the container was purchased from.

It is important to note that FDA-cleared containers can be purchased from local and chain pharmacies; however, these containers may or may not come with instructions on how to mail them back. And unfortunately, FDA-cleared sharps containers cannot be disposed of with regular household garbage. If you have purchased an FDA-cleared sharps container and are unsure of how to dispose of it, ask your pharmacy or doctor’s office if they will accept your sharps container. You can also look for a disposal site by going to https://safeneedledisposal.org/.

If you cannot purchase an FDA-cleared mail-order sharps waste container in store or online, Skagitonians have another option for disposing of household generated sharps.

In Skagit County, people can dispose of household generated sharps—including used syringes, needles, and lancets—in a correctly labeled container in their household garbage. Follow the steps below to ensure that all used sharps are disposed of safely and properly.

Step 1: Store

Used sharps should be placed in an opaque, hard plastic or metal container with a screw-on or secured lid. An empty bleach or detergent bottle works well! Do not use glass or thin plastic.

Step 2: Seal

When ¾ full (don’t overfill!), screw the lid on tightly and seal around the lid with duct tape or plastic tape.

Step 3: Sticker

Label the container with a special Skagit County Public Health label “Warning: Syringes. Do NOT Recycle.” printed on bright orange or red colored paper. Tape the label securely to the container with clear plastic tape. Labels can be downloaded from the Environmental Health webpage here. You can also request labels from our office by calling (360) 416-1500.

Skagit County Public Health’s approved warning label.

Step 4: Dispose

Dispose of the container with your regular household trash. Do NOT recycle.

Gloves, soiled bandages, and other items should be places in securely fastened plastic bags and disposed of with your regular trash.

For BUSINESS-Generated Sharps

Business are not allowed to dispose of biohazardous sharps with regular solid waste. Businesses are required to dispose of their collected biohazardous sharps via a licensed biomedical waste handler. On-site pick up services and mail order services are available. Businesses can contact Stericycle or Waste Management – Health Care to schedule services.

What about disposing of my unwanted medications in my home?

If you have unwanted, unused, or expired medication, Skagit County residents can safely dispose of these items for free by taking them to secure drop boxes, ordering free mail-back envelopes and/or picking up mail-back envelopes from convenient mailer distribution locations throughout Skagit County.

To find updated information on drop box locations, request mailers, and find mailer distribution locations go to MED-Project.

For more information about Skagit County’s Secure Medicine Return program, visit our webpage at https://www.skagitcounty.net/Departments/Health/medicinereturn.htm.

For questions, please contact Skagit County Public Health by calling (360) 416-1500.

Top 6 Things to Know About VAERS

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The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has gotten a lot of attention on social media and in the news this year. This database, which includes hundreds of thousands of reports of health events that occurred minutes, hours, or days after vaccination, is a go to spot for many people looking for information about COVID-19 vaccine safety.

While VAERS is an extremely helpful tool used by experts to track adverse reactions and safety concerns associated with vaccinations (not just COVID-19, but all vaccines!), it is important to know a few things about the system before digging in too deeply.

Scientists and health experts consider VARES to be a starting point in the search for rare but potentially serious vaccine side effects. It is by no means the only system in place to track this data.

So, when reading about VAERS reports in the news or when talking with friends and loved ones about specific reports, be sure to have the following 6 things in mind:

1. VAERS is a national vaccine safety surveillance program that helps to detect unusual or unexpected reporting patterns of adverse events for vaccines.

Established in 1990, VAERS is the nation’s early warning system that monitors the safety of vaccines after they are authorized or licensed for use by the FDA. VAERS is part of the larger vaccine safety system in the United States that helps make sure all vaccines are safe. The system is co-managed by CDC and FDA.

Other pieces of this safety system include the CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) and the Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment (CISA) project. These reporting systems are much better at assessing overall health risks and possible connections between adverse events and a vaccine.

2. VAERS accepts reports from anyone, including patients, family members, healthcare providers and vaccine manufacturers.

Anyone can submit a report to VAERS — healthcare professionals, vaccine manufacturers, and the general public. VAERS welcomes all reports, regardless of seriousness, and regardless of how likely the vaccine may have been to have caused the adverse event. Reports can be submitted successfully even if they are incomplete or are missing key details.

3. VAERS is not designed to determine if a vaccine caused or contributed to an adverse event. A report to VAERS does not mean the vaccine caused the event.

This fact has caused much confusion, specifically regarding the number of reported deaths associated with COVID-19 vaccines. In the past, there have been instances where people misinterpreted reports of death following vaccination as death caused by the vaccines; that is a mistake.

VAERS accepts all reports of adverse events following vaccination without judging whether the vaccine caused the adverse health event. Some reports to VAERS might represent true vaccine reactions, and others might be coincidental adverse health events not related to vaccination at all. Generally, a causal relationship cannot be established using information from VAERS reports alone.

Reports can also be made days, weeks, and months following a vaccination. That means that if a vaccinated person dies in a car accident, drowns, or dies from any other “natural” or “unnatural” cause, their death must be reported to VAERS as an adverse event. Since we’ve now vaccinated over 334 million people in the United States, it is to be expected that many deaths will occur coincidentally after vaccination.

4. VAERS is a passive surveillance system, meaning it relies on people sending in reports of their experiences after vaccination.

As a passive reporting system, VAERS relies on individuals to send in reports of adverse health events following vaccination.

The information collected by VAERS can quickly provide an early warning of a potential safety problem with a vaccine. Patterns of adverse events, or an unusually high number of adverse events reported after a particular vaccine, are called “signals.” If a signal is identified through VAERS, experts may conduct further studies to find out if the signal represents an actual risk.

5. Healthcare providers and vaccine manufacturers are required by law to report certain events after vaccination.

Healthcare providers are required to report to VAERS the following adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination under Emergency Use Authorization, and other adverse events if later revised by FDA.

Some things that healthcare providers are required to report on include:

  • Vaccine administration errors, whether or not associated with an adverse event.
  • Serious adverse events regardless of death. This could include:
    1.  Death
    2.  A life-threatening adverse event
    3.  Inpatient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization
    4.  A persistent or significant incapacity or substantial disruption of the ability to conduct normal life functions
    5.  A congenital anomaly/birth defect
    6.  An important medical event that based on appropriate medical judgement may jeopardize the individual and may require medical or surgical intervention to prevent one of the outcomes listed above
  • Cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS).
  • Cases of COVID-19 that result in hospitalization or death.

Further, healthcare providers are encouraged to report to VAERS any additional clinically significant adverse effects following vaccination, even if they are not sure if vaccination caused the event.

6. If VAERS detects a pattern of adverse events following vaccination, other vaccine safety monitoring systems conduct follow up studies.

The information that the VAERS system provides to the FDA and CDC is vitally important. If it looks as though a vaccine might be causing a wide-spread problem, the FDA and the CDC will investigate further and take action if needed.

We saw this system in action just recently when the CDC paused the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to reports of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). This pause allowed time for the FDA and CDC to investigate these reports and examine any possible linkages. A similar review process was followed when reports of myocarditis in the United States began to circulate. The J&J pause and investigation into cases of myocarditis are all signs that the VAERS reporting system is working extremely well! If at any point the CDC and FDA saw evidence showing a direct linkage between a vaccine and permanent disability and/or death, proper steps would be taken to ensure safety.

Note: For public awareness and in the interest of transparency, CDC is providing timely updates on the following serious adverse events of interest: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/adverse-events.html

Hand Sanitizer Recall

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While washing your hands for at least 20 seconds is preferred, using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be an effective way to clean your hands when soap and water are not easily available. However, federal regulators are warning consumers to avoid nearly 150 different hand sanitizers because they contain dangerous chemicals or their alcohol levels are too low to be effective. Some of the hand sanitizer brands have been sold at national retailers like Walmart and Costco, which have recalled the products.

What is wrong with the recalled sanitizers?

Some hand sanitizers are being recalled because they contain methanol, also known as wood alcohol, which can be toxic when ingested or absorbed through the skin, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning. Hand sanitizers should never contain methanol, which is used industrially as a solvent and pesticide. Exposure to methanol can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death.  

Can I just check product labels for methanol?

No, unfortunately looking at labels is not enough. According to the FDA, some of the products were mislabeled, so consumers would not be able to tell which hand sanitizers actually contain methanol. The FDA has compiled a list of the recalled products on its website. The best way to find out if your hand sanitizer was recalled is to check the FDA list.

Note: Scroll to the bottom of the FDA website to search the list of recalled products.

The FDA is urging consumers not to use any hand sanitizer products from the manufacturers on their list even if the product or particular lot number are not listed. If any of the identifiers match a product on the list, the FDA urges consumers to stop using the hand sanitizer. Do not flush or pour these products down the drain or mix with other liquids. You should dispose of the sanitizer bottle in a hazardous waste container, or at a hazardous waste collection facility.

General Safety Tips

It is important to understand that any hand sanitizer can be harmful when used improperly. The Washington Poison Center has issued a list of safety tips for hand sanitizer use:

  • Do not swallow any hand sanitizers.
  • Only use hand sanitizers for their intended purpose: to clean hands.
  • Supervise children when using hand sanitizer. Apply a small amount to the child’s hands, and have them rub their hands together until dry.
  • Keep hand sanitizers out of sight and out of reach of children when not in use.
  • Contact the Washington Poison Center immediately (1-800-222-1222) if someone has swallowed hand sanitizer. Do not wait for symptoms to occur.
Visit the Washington Poison Center website for more information about staying safe during COVID-19.

How do I use hand sanitizer effectively to kill viruses like COVID-19?

When using hand sanitizer, the CDC recommends that you apply the product to the palm of one hand and rub the product all over the surfaces of your hands until your hands are dry, which should take about 30 seconds. Studies have shown that hand sanitizers may not be as effective when your hands are visibly dirty or greasy, so thoroughly washing your hands with soap and water is a better option in those cases.