Of the nearly 2 million people vaccinated against COVID-19 over a 10-day period in December, only 21 experienced severe allergic reactions, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Wednesday.
Most of those people had a history of allergies or allergic reactions, and of the 20 people the CDC followed up, all had recovered and been sent home.
Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, stressful allergic reactions are an “extraordinarily rare” event.
“Of course we all hope that any vaccine has no side effects, but even at 11 cases per million doses administered, it is a very safe vaccine,” she said.
The risks of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 are much higher, Messonnier said, with more than 2,000 people dying each day.
“The risk of COVID and poor results from COVID is still more than the risk of a serious outcome from the vaccine,” she said.
A report published Wednesday by the CDC found 21 allergic reactions among 1.9 million people vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine between December 14 and 23.
An additional eight reports of serious allergic reactions were reported after that period and were not included in the report. More reports will be released in the future.
The Pfizer vaccine was the only one given to the public during that time, but due to its similarity to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC recommends that patients with a history of immediate and severe allergic reactions to vaccines or anaphylaxis checked at 30 minutes after injections.
People with a history of allergic reactions to food, insect stings, vaccines, or a history of anaphylaxis should see their doctor before getting vaccinated, Messonnier said.