Some Oahu pharmacies are seeing a surge in hepatitis A vaccine requests after state officials this week reported the source of the ongoing outbreak, which has sickened 206 people with the virus.
At the Safeway store in Kapahulu, for example, pharmacy manager Alanna Isobe said on Wednesday it administered about 100 hepatitis A shots, compared with about 80 per day prior to the state’s announcement late Monday.
On Thursday the state Department of Health announced that federal laboratory tests have confirmed the presence of hepatitis A virus in scallops that the DOH had identified as the likely source of the outbreak in Hawaii.
The Health Department blocked the sale and distribution of Sea Port Bay Scallops (Wild Harvest, Raw Frozen) in the state this week, right after concluding they were the probable cause of the outbreak.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration tested the product, and results came back positive Thursday. The scallops were produced by De Oro Resources Inc. in Suba Basbas, Philippines, and imported by Sea Port Products Corp. in Washington state.
Health authorities closed Genki Sushi restaurants on Oahu and Kauai late Monday because the scallops had been served there.
In a news release state Health Director Dr. Virginia Pressler said, “The corroboration by the FDA of our data analysis and conclusions provides welcome and critical evidence for our continuing investigation work.”
Anyone who may have consumed the tainted scallops is advised to contact their primary health care provider about receiving a vaccine or immune globulin, which could provide some protection against the liver disease if given within two weeks of exposure. Vaccination is the best protection against hepatitis A. Hand washing can also help prevent the spread of the virus.
In the release, state Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said, “We are continuing efforts to end this outbreak by working to assure no other product is left in the state and to monitor for those who unfortunately may have been infected and do not yet have symptoms.”
The waiting line for vaccinations remained steady at the Kapahulu Safeway’s pharmacy Thursday. “We’ve been very busy,” Isobe said.
Vaccine-related phone calls are also inundating the pharmacy, Isobe said. For every shot a staff member administers, she said, the pharmacy gets about four phone calls concerning the vaccine.
Isobe stressed that no one should fret about whether there’s enough hepatitis A vaccine. “We have adequate supplies,” she said.
Chris Wong, a pharmacist at Times Supermarket in Kahala, said the pharmacy has been “consistently busy” due to the spike in vaccine requests.
Wong said the pharmacy held a clinic Wednesday with additional staff who gave shots to about 30 people. Another clinic scheduled for next week is booked, and plans are in the works to schedule additional clinics. “We’re trying to accommodate as many (people) as possible,” he said.
A statewide list of pharmacies offering hepatitis A vaccine is available at bit.ly/1oiTEZL.
