I have received 2 Pfizer vaccines from Dr. Moma, and 1 Pfizer vaccine from UC Health.
Here is my story:
Summary:
Mar 19, 2021 - 1st dose of Pfizer (in left arm) at Dr. Moma Clinic. No reaction.
Apr 8, 2021 - 2nd dose of Pfizer (in right arm) at Dr. Moma Clinic. No reaction except blue/purple bruise that lasted for 12 days.
Apr 12, 2021 - 3rd dose of Pfizer at UC Health Memorial. Moderate reaction (Low grade fever/chill) the second day. I have been feeling normal/well ever since.
Details:
The reason I went to Dr. Moma for my COVID vaccines was that I could not find appointments anywhere else.
Before the first dose, I checked and double checked the El Paso County Health Department web site and found Dr. Moma was one of the legit providers for El Paso County.
March 19 - 1st Pfizer dose in left arm. No reaction after.
April 8 - 2nd Pfizer dose in right arm. No reaction after, but right arm was bruised (blue/purple) for 2 weeks.
April 9 evening - news of Dr. Moma broke.
April 12 - 9AM called El Paso County Health Department, talked to a male counselor.
He advised me to revaccinate both shots. He gave me Matthews-Vu phone number.
I asked him if extra shots will hurt me physically or medically, he said no. His answers:
"If Dr. Moma's shots were no good, the new shots would provide COVID protection."
"If Dr. Moma's shots were okay, the new shots would be wasted. But it's not your fault."
April 12 - I hopped online after speaking to El Paso County Health Department, found a "UC Health" appointment of Pfizer for that day. When asked if it was my first Pfizer dose, I said yes, based on my conversation with El Paso County. Received the 3rd shot on April 12 @1:38PM left arm at UC Health Memorial.
Moderate reaction after the 3rd shot at UC Health, low grade fever/chill the second day, stayed in bed. Feeling normal/well after the second day.
April 14 - learned on the news that Dr. Moma's vaccines were deemed invalid, and CDC advised the Dr. Moma recipients should revaccinate with date gaps 21 days (Pfizer) or 28 days (Moderna) apart.
April 20 - 9:55AM Called Dr. Moma, I was surprised she answered personally. I spoke with Dr. Moma for 16 minutes.
Dr. Moma said her office actually stores the vaccines in a "pharmaceutical grade refrigerator" before thawing. After the vaccines were thawed for use, they never stayed in room temperature for more than 6 hours.
"The vaccines administered were good." said Dr. Moma.
For the first dose, my insurance (United HealthCare) was billed by Dr. Moma for $10 (Medical Service, denied), $40 (Laboratory Service, partially paid $16.23).
Dr. Moma said: "You personally will never receive a bill from me for these vaccines. I only bill insurance."
Conclusion:
I think my 1st dose on March 19 was okay.
My second dose on April 8 was no good.
My 3rd dose on April 12 with UC Health was good. I had "second dose reaction" as expected, I have been feeling well and normal ever since.
I did not follow the CDC "21 days apart" guideline because I didn't know on April 12. I grabbed the first appointment I could get out of frustration, anger and disappointment. But I don't think it has affected my health. Not yet at least.
If you would like to talk with the person who submitted this story, call or email Kathy Haselmaier. Kathy will collect your contact info and the person who shared this story will contact you. This person is happy to talk about this experience with people individually.