A pharmacist dilutes the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as he prepares to administer it to staff and residents of Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads, a community of seniors in Falls Church, Virginia, on December 30, 2020.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
The Covid-19 vaccine appears to cause severe allergic reactions at a significantly higher rate than other vaccines in the first wave of Americans to receive life-saving vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. of the USA.
Although still uncommon, the CDC said there were 21 cases of anaphylaxis, a serious and life-threatening allergic reaction that rarely occurs after vaccination, of the nearly 1.9 million people who received the first shot of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine in mid-late December, according to a study released Wednesday in the CDC’s weekly morbidity and mortality report.
This would mean that approximately 11 people in every million vaccinated would likely experience anaphylaxis, according to CDC data, about 10 times greater than the flu vaccine.
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Vaccination and Respiratory Disease at the CDC, told reporters at a conference call that inoculations were safe for public use and that severe, albeit higher, allergic reactions , were still considered rare.
“The anaphylaxis rate for Covid-19 vaccines may seem high compared to flu vaccines, but I want to reassure you that it is still a rare result,” Messonnier said in the call before publishing the ‘study. He added that the data apply to both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which use similar mRNA technology.
Of the 21 people who experienced severe allergic reactions, 17 of them had a documented history of allergies or allergic reactions. The study found that seven of these people had a history of anaphylaxis.
Most people experienced symptoms within 15 minutes of receiving the shot, although anaphylaxis can occur hours after someone is vaccinated, the CDC said. Of the 20 people with available follow-up information, all had recovered or were discharged at home, according to the study.
Most people experienced symptoms within 15 minutes of receiving the shot, although anaphylaxis can occur hours after someone is vaccinated, the CDC said. Of the 20 people with available follow-up information, all had recovered or were discharged at home, according to the study.
“Of course, we would all expect any vaccine to have zero adverse events, but even with 11 cases per million doses administered, it’s a very safe vaccine,” Messonnier said. He added that there are “great efforts” underway to try to determine exactly what is causing the severe allergic reactions.
According to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the coronavirus kills an average of 2,670 people in the U.S. each day, making the vaccine a “good value proposition,” Messonnier said.
According to the provisional guidelines of the CDC Advisory Committee on CDC Immunization Practices, last updated in December, everyone should be observed for 15 minutes after vaccination to ensure that they do not develop symptoms. People with a history of anaphylaxis should be observed for 30 minutes, according to the committee.
The committee also suggested that people who develop anaphylaxis after the first dose should not be given a second dose, as both medications require two separate shots a week to be fully effective. The CDC study said each vaccination site should have supplies like epinephrine ready to treat patients who could develop severe reactions.
“Fortunately, we know how to treat anaphylaxis and have established provisions to ensure that at immunization sites, people who administer the vaccine are prepared to treat anaphylaxis,” Messonnier said.