The data are very preliminary, but serious side effects appear to occur more frequently with the Pfizer COVID vaccine than after receiving a flu vaccine. The CDC says its security control detected 21 cases of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. There were eight allergic reactions to the Modern vaccine. The CDC said the information came from nearly 1.9 million vaccines and covered the December 14-23 period.
This translates into 11.1 severe reactions per million vaccines, compared to 1.3 reactions per million flu vaccinations.
The CDC assured the public that the rate of serious reactions was still considered “rare.”
USA Today:
“We would all expect any vaccine to have zero adverse events, but even with 11 cases per million doses administered, it is a very safe vaccine,” he said.
In 86% of cases, symptoms began 30 minutes after vaccination and 81% of cases occurred in people with a history of allergies or allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis events. The majority of patients who reported having this severe allergic reaction (90%) were women.
Up to 20 percent of vaccinated people experience mild side effects, including redness at the injection site, low-grade fevers, chills, and headaches. The CDC advises those who are allergic to drugs or foods not receiving the Pfizer vaccine.
Anaphylaxis is a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction that requires immediate medical attention, according to the American Academy of Asthma and Allergy Immunology. Symptoms may include rash, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, and shock. The most common anaphylactic reactions are to food, insect bites, medications, and latex.
The CDC said it will continue to monitor for adverse events, including anaphylaxis, and will regularly evaluate the benefits and risks of vaccination. However, the COVID-19 vaccine remains “an important tool in efforts to control the pandemic.”
The CDC says as of Wednesday, 4.8 million people have received a COVID shot. There have been no reports of deaths associated with any of the vaccines.
The statistics provided so far indicate that if you are allergic to anything, wait before receiving the COVID vaccine. This is the recommendation of the CDC, but the reason for the wait, especially if you are at low risk for serious illness, is that later versions of these vaccines may be much less toxic to the immune system of some people. The anaphylaxis reaction is due to the fact that the body’s immune system is introduced. Future vaccines may not affect people with these sensitivities.
This rate of severe reactions is likely to plummet once the distribution of the vaccine is wider. Even now, it is still a good bet if you are very susceptible to serious COVID diseases.