Twenty-nine COVID-19 vaccine recipients in the United States have suffered severe allergic reactions after receiving the shot, health officials said Wednesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction, occurred between recipients of the Modern and Pfizer vaccines, although officials stressed that it was a ” rare result “and that no deaths were reported.
“As you can imagine, there are great efforts underway to understand what may be the cause of these allergic reactions,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Vaccination and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters. agency.
Messonnier said they still collect information on all cases of anaphylaxis, especially with the Modern vaccine, as it accounts for less than 4.8 million doses administered to date.
The agency revealed on Wednesday in a report that there had been 21 cases of anaphylaxis in 1.9 million people who had received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Seventeen of the 21 people had a documented history of allergies or allergic reactions, seven of whom had previously experienced anaphylaxis, Messonnier said.
But the rate is higher than that of people who have received the flu shot.
Influenza vaccines cause anaphylaxis in approximately 1.3 people per million recipients, while about 11.1 Pfizer receptors per million had the reaction, according to the CDC.
“You could say mathematically it’s ten times the amount, but I think I don’t find the point because it’s still extremely rare,” Messonnier said.
“We would all expect any vaccine to have zero adverse events, but even in 11 cases for 1 million doses administered, it is a very safe vaccine.”
He added that the risk of contracting COVID-19 or experiencing a poor virus outcome is even higher.
“Fortunately, we know how to treat anaphylaxis and we have established provisions at vaccination sites,” Messonnier said.
Anyone who has an allergic reaction to the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine is not recommended to get the second shot of the two-dose regimen, Messonnier said.
The agency urges anyone with a history of allergies to consult their healthcare provider to determine if they want to get the vaccine.
“There’s a difference between someone who had a mild allergic reaction in their childhood and someone who had a major allergic relationship last week,” Messonnier said.
“It will be important for a doctor to help you exercise your judgment instead of having hard, fast rules.”