Modoc Sheriff holds fundraiser for teen battling illness after receiving COVID vaccine

MODOC COUNTY, Calif. — The Modoc County Sheriff's Office is holding a No Shave November fundraiser for a Modoc County teen battling an illness after receiving a COVID vaccine, according to the sheriff's office.

Through a Facebook post, the sheriff's office is asking the community for support in helping raise money for 16-year-old Donna Shaffer. The teenager from Cedarville is battling illness after receiving the COVID vaccine, according to the Modoc County Sheriff's Office.

According to the post, Donna received a Pfizer vaccine shot in June and five days later, she began to experience seizures, experience ticks, vision issues, and a lack of mobility. She is now in a wheelchair and the sheriff's office is asking the community for support in helping the Shaffer family.

KRCR has not spoken with the Shaffer family or confirmed any information about her diagnosis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), serious adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination are rare but may occur.

Serious side effects reported by the CDC:

• Anaphylaxis after COVID-19 vaccination is rare and has occurred in approximately 2 to 5 people per million vaccinated in the United States.
• As of October 27, 2021, more than 15.5 million doses of the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine have been given in the United States. CDC and FDA identified 48 confirmed reports of people who got the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine and later developed blood clots.
• To date, two confirmed cases of TTS following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (Moderna) have been reported to VAERS after more than 401 million doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines administered in the United States.
• CDC and FDA are monitoring reports of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in people who have received the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. GBS is a rare disorder where the body’s immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. There have been around 244 preliminary reports of GBS identified in VAERS as of October 27, 2021.
• CDC and FDA have confirmed 1,005 reports of myocarditis or pericarditis. CDC and its partners are investigating these reports to assess whether there is a relationship to COVID-19 vaccination.
• More than 423 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the United States from December 14, 2020, through November 1, 2021. During this time, VAERS received 9,367 reports of death (0.0022%) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine. FDA requires healthcare providers to report any death after COVID-19 vaccination to VAERS, even if it’s unclear whether the vaccine was the cause.

Modoc County Sheriff Tex Dowdy said the family is facing the high cost of medical bills combined with the need to travel for treatment.

"Just the traveling cost to stay, and motels, and being away from homes, and meals...that we might be able to help and support that," said Sheriff Dowdy.

The No-Shave November competition will last until Nov. 30. Sheriff Dowdy will buy pizza for the group that raises the most money for the family.

General donations can be mailed to the Modoc County Sheriff's Office at P.O. BOX 460 Alturas CA 96101 or you can drop the donation off in person at 211 E. First Street in Alturas. They ask to please make checks to D. Shaffer.