ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) – A Fairbanks clinician suffered anaphylactic symptoms after receiving the Pfizer Inc coronavirus vaccine, a hospital said on Friday, becoming the third Alaska health worker to have an adverse reaction to new drug.
The clinician, whose name was not disclosed, began showing symptoms about ten minutes after he was inoculated Thursday, according to the Health Partners Foundation, operator of Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
The health worker was treated with epinephrine in the hospital’s emergency room and released about six hours later, the Health Partners Foundation said in a written statement.
Two Juneau health workers suffered adverse reactions to the medication earlier this week. One was briefly hospitalized in that city for anaphylaxis after being vaccinated on Tuesday. The second had a milder reaction Wednesday and was rushed to the hospital emergency room and released.
“Allergic reactions, although uncommon, can occur with injections of medications and vaccines,” said Dr. Angelique Ramirez, medical director of the Health Partners Foundation, Dr. Angelique Ramirez.
The Fairbanks clinic issued its own statement which was included in the Foundation Health Partners version.
“I would get the vaccine and recommend it to anyone, despite my reaction, to help our country get vaccinated which is necessary for the health of all Americans, for the economy, for families to return to to embrace, to get children back to school to get the country on the other side of this pandemic, ”said the health worker.
Alaska received the first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine on Sunday evening, state officials said. Lots have been shipped across the state, including by seaplane and boat to more remote locations.
Report by Yereth Rosen in Anchorage; Edited by Dan Whitcomb and Tom Brown