Empty bottles containing a dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against the COVID-19 coronavirus lie on a table as South Africa continues its vaccination campaign at Klerksdorp Hospital on February 18, 2021.
Phill Magakoe | AFP | Getty Images
Two subjects suffered severe allergic reactions shortly after receiving Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine, a J&J scientist told an FDA panel on Friday.
J&J was first informed of the allergic reactions on Wednesday, Macaya Douoguih, head of clinical development and medical affairs at J & J’s vaccine division Janssen, told the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.
One of the people took part in an ongoing study in South Africa and developed anaphylaxis, a serious and life-threatening allergic reaction, after receiving the vaccine, she said.
She did not detail the second person’s response.
“We will continue to monitor these events closely,” she told the panel.
There were previously no reports of anaphylaxis in J & J’s clinical trial. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are currently monitoring events such as states and pharmacies rolling out Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
There have been 46 reports of anaphylaxis in those who received the Pfizers vaccine and 16 cases in those who received Moderna, according to a CDC report published Feb. 16. vaccine.
The CDC asks health care providers to monitor patients 15 minutes after vaccination and 30 minutes for those with a history of allergic reactions.
If someone has a severe allergic reaction after receiving the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, the CDC recommends not getting the second dose, even if the allergic reaction was not severe enough to require emergency care.