(WXYZ) – There have been reports of a third serious reaction to Pfizer’s vaccine – this time in Alaska.
It is not clear whether or not this person had a history of allergic reactions before they received the first dose of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine. All we know at this point is that a health worker reportedly had a severe allergic reaction yesterday. And they remain in the hospital for observation and are currently in stable condition.
So while we wait for more information, now is a great time to talk to your doctor if you have an allergy. To see if there are any ingredients in this particular vaccine that you might have an adverse reaction to.
Unfortunately, I cannot say with certainty whether people in risk groups can be vaccinated early. We have just started and currently there is a very limited supply.
The White House has said they could vaccinate 20 million in December, 30 million in January and 50 million in February. That’s a good start, but those doses have been spread all over the US. And here in Michigan, our first batch contains just over 84,000 doses. And they first go to hospitals and public health departments. Because the CDC and the ACIP – the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee – have recommended a four-phase rollout.
Phase 1A includes health workers and nursing home residents. Phase 1B includes workers in essential and critical industries. And then there’s Stage 1C, where people at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 are recommended to get vaccinated.
Michigan now plans to follow these recommendations. But it was pointed out that some stages can start even if other stages are not yet completed. This opens the door for some people to get vaccinated a little earlier than others who are in an earlier stage.
I like to talk about self defense and am what I call your own health hero – you become your own health hero when you make your health your number one priority. So yes, it doesn’t hurt to argue for early vaccination.
You can talk to your doctor to make sure your electronic health records are up to date and that any underlying medical conditions you have have been recorded. You can also discuss which category you fall into and how you can get vaccinated quickly if the vaccine is available for that group.
But don’t forget that the logistics of all this are still being worked out. So be patient as it can take time for doctors, like me, to have detailed answers.
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