An Alaska health worker suffered a severe allergic reaction on Tuesday after receiving Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, a new report said.
Three people familiar with the matter told The New York Times that the person had been hospitalized and in stable condition as of Wednesday morning.
The employee reportedly had no history of drug allergies, but it is not known whether he or she had any other allergies.
The allergic reaction is believed to be similar to the anaphylactic reactions of two health workers in Britain, both of whom have recovered after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech SE vaccine last week.
As hundreds of thousands of Americans are expected to be dosed in the US in the coming weeks, health officials will be on high alert to see if other recipients experience severe reactions.
A health worker in Alaska developed a severe allergic reaction after taking Pfizer Inc.’s coronavirus vaccine. Pictured: Dr. Chadi Ibrahim (right) receives the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from Susan Grand at the Beaumont Service Center in Southfield, Michigan, December 15
The worker, who is stably hospitalized, has no history of drug allergies, but it is not known whether he or she suffered from other allergies. Pictured: Pfizer’s vaccine
“We don’t yet have full details of the Alaska report on possible serious allergic reactions, but are actively working with local health authorities to assess this,” a Pfizer spokesperson told CNN.
“We will closely monitor all reports indicating serious allergic reactions after vaccination and update the labeling sample as necessary.
“The prescribing information contains a clear warning / precaution that appropriate medical treatment and supervision should always be readily available in the event of a rare anaphylactic event following vaccine administration.”
DailyMail.com has contacted Pfizer for a request for comment.
Anaphylactic shock is a serious and potentially life-threatening reaction to an allergy from food, medicine, or even some type of material.
The immune system releases chemicals that flood the body, blood pressure suddenly drops, and the airways narrow, preventing a person from breathing normally.
Symptoms usually appear within minutes and include hives, a weak pulse, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and a swollen tongue or throat.
If not treated immediately, it can lead to death.
In the UK, two National Health Service (NHS) staff with a history of severe allergies developed reactions after being vaccinated.
One of the workers, a 49-year-old woman, had a history of egg allergies and the other, a 40-year-old woman, had a history of drug allergies.
Both wore devices containing epinephrine, a hormone that relaxes airway muscles, in case they had any reactions.
A third patient also had a ‘possible allergic reaction’, but the UK authorities did not describe this and did not provide an update on the patient.
Pfizer says the jab isn’t made with egg ingredients.
Following the responses, the UK Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) warned that anyone with severe allergic reactions to food or medicines should not receive the vaccine.
About 32 million Americans have food allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. It is not known how many have drug allergies.
No such warning has been issued in the US as of Wednesday.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last weekend that Americans with severe allergies can be immunized as long as they are monitored for 30 minutes after they get the injection.
However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires Pfizer to monitor for anaphylaxis in the U.S. and submit data, The Times reported.
The agency has also advised people with allergies to see their doctor to make sure they are not allergic to any components of the vaccine.
In a preliminary analysis of Pfizer’s vaccine posted online last week, ahead of FDA approval, a group of scientists said the shot was safe.
Of the 20,000 volunteers, 137 who received the injection had allergic reactions, but so did 111 people who received the placebo.
This led researchers to dismiss the theory that the vaccine was a potential danger.
Four people who received the vaccine were diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, a type of facial paralysis.
However, research scientists said there was no evidence that the prick causing the condition was comparable to the Bell’s Palsy rate in the general population.
Among the non-serious unsolicited adverse reactions, there was a numerical imbalance of four cases of Bell palsy in the vaccine group compared to no cases in the placebo group, although the four cases in the vaccine group do not represent a frequency higher than expected in the general population , ”read the analysis.
Pfizer’s vaccine began rolling out in the US on Monday, and 2.9 million people are expected to receive the first doses.
There is currently no federal data on how many people received the shot, and most states have not disclosed how many doses they administered.
However, it is likely that tens of thousands of people across the country have received the vaccine to date.
On Wednesday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said 4,000 of the 87,750 doses received so far have been administered.
More than 80 percent of Americans over the age of 18 said they plan to get vaccinated, but most of those (44%, in green) plan to “ wait a bit ” after getting permission to have the get theirs
A new poll shows that a total of only 55% of Americans say they are likely to take a COVID-19 vaccine if it were available today
The survey, conducted by OnePoll for DailyMail.com, found that two-thirds of men and half of women are likely to get the shot
There is some concern that the allergic response will deter Americans from getting the vaccine needed to stem the spread of the pandemic.
A new poll found that nearly 84 percent of Americans say they will get a coronavirus vaccine, but most don’t want to get the chance.
The survey, conducted by ABC News / Ipsos, found that 44 percent want to ‘wait a while’ before being immunized.
Only two in five respondents said they would receive a vaccine as soon as possible.
It also found that 15 percent of Americans still say they will “never” get a COVID-19 vaccine, with Republicans and minorities being the most reluctant.
And another study, conducted by OnePoll for DailyMail.com, showed just that more than half of Americans are willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available.
Only 67% of men and 49% of women said they were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ likely to receive the vaccine.
One poll participant said, ‘Vaccines need to be tested for more than a few months before I would feel comfortable getting it. ‘
Another said they “would like to see when others are taking it if there are any side effects.”