(Reuters) – An Alaska health worker had a severe allergic reaction after receiving the coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer Inc and BioNTech, but it is now stable, public health authorities said Wednesday.
The person’s adverse reaction, minutes after taking Pfizer’s shot on Tuesday, was similar to two cases reported last week in Britain.
The British medical regulator has said that anyone with a history of anaphylaxis or severe allergic reactions to a medicine or food should not receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said most Americans with allergies should be safe to get the vaccine. It was said that only people who have previously had severe allergic reactions to the vaccines or ingredients of that particular vaccine should avoid the vaccine.
The Alaska patient had no history of allergic reactions, Lindy Jones, director of the emergency department in the Juneau capital, where the patient was treated, told reporters.
Symptoms in the middle-aged patient resolved after they were given epinephrine for allergy, Jones said.
The patient was still in the Juneau Regional Hospital, Bartlett, which was being monitored on Wednesday.
Pfizer said the vaccine includes a clear warning that proper medical treatment and supervision should always be available in case of anaphylaxis, but would update the vaccine’s labeling language if necessary.
Vaccine administration began Monday in the United States, following the emergency use permit last week. First doses have been reserved for health workers and residents of residences
Former FDA chief scientist Jesse Goodman found the allergic reaction to be worrisome, but said more information is needed to better understand the risks.
“What we need to know is what the denominator is: how many doses have been given? Is it something that is seen with a higher incidence with this vaccine than with others? Goodman said. “We’ll have to figure these things out to see if that changes the recommendations or how it’s used.”
Reports from Manas Mishra to Bengaluru; Additional reports from Michael Erman in New York; Edited by Ramakrishnan M. and Shinjini Ganguli and Alistair Bell