A Boston doctor had an allergic reaction after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna on Thursday, according to the hospital where he works, but he is fine.
Boston Medical Center confirmed Friday night that Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh, who appears to have a severe allergy to seafood, was taken to the emergency department after the first dose of vaccine from the company based. in Cambridge.
According to the New York Times, it is the first known allergic reaction to Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, although in other cases it is known that other vaccines used now cause allergic reactions. More than 35,000 people have been vaccinated in Massachusetts as of Tuesday, according to the new state board.
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Sadrzadeh, a member of geriatric oncology, was being watched by nurses after the vaccine was injected, following the hospital protocol for all recipients, when he began to feel that he was developing an allergic reaction. according to a BMC spokesman.
Sadrzadeh had his own personal EpiPen with him and used it for himself, then he was taken to the emergency department for evaluation, treatment and observation before being discharged. As of Friday, he is doing well, the hospital representative said.
British officials are investigating reports that two people who received the Pfizer vaccine had allergic reactions. Medical experts say that while the reactions are rare, they are unheard of for any type of vaccine and are usually short-lived.
U.S. health officials say Moderna and Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccines are safe, and medical experts agree that allergic reactions to vaccines are rare, but can sometimes occur.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that: “If you have ever had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient in a COVID-19 vaccine … you should not receive this specific vaccine. If you have had a severe allergic reaction to other vaccines or injectable therapies, you should ask your doctor if you should take a COVID-19 vaccine. Your doctor will help you decide if it is safe to get vaccinated. “
Just over a million people in the United States had received the first dose of coronavirus vaccine as of Wednesday morning, according to the CDC, and only a handful of reactions to these people had been classified as anaphylaxis, a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction.
It is unclear why some people experience allergic reactions after receiving the shots. Fatigue, headaches, and muscle aches have been noted as the most common side effects of the Moderna vaccine, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Moderna and Pfizer have reported that their COVID-19 vaccines have been highly effective in trials. But how do they work and what are the differences between the two? Benjamin Neuman, a professor of biological studies at Texas A&M, breaks down the details of the two vaccines.
A study led by a team from the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases examines why some people have had severe allergic reactions and is expected to include several hundred people with a history of severe allergic reactions.
Within moments of receiving the vaccine containing the vaccine, Sadrzadeh’s heart began to quicken, then he felt his tongue and throat tingle and begin to fall asleep, he told the Boston Globe. He called it the worst allergic reaction he has experienced since he was 11: he is allergic to seafood.
But Sadrzadeh told the newspaper that he was returning to normal on Friday morning and hopes his story will encourage anyone with a history of allergies to be educated with information before receiving the vaccine.
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine began arriving in Massachusetts on Tuesday, as part of a shipment of more than 116,000 doses. Delivery amounted to 59,475 doses of Pfizer that were distributed in the state the first week they arrived. From this, Boston Medical Center had received the first shipment of 75,000 doses of Modern vaccine in addition to the 2,000 doses of Pfizer, which have already begun to be administered to staff and patients.