A health worker in Alaska was released from hospital on Thursday after having a rare but serious allergic reaction to Pfizer and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine. reported the Anchorage Daily News.
The employee was released from Bartlett Regional Hospital after a two-night stay, the news center reports.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that the worker experienced flushing and shortness of breath, which resolved after epinephrine treatment.
The Anchorage Daily News reported that a second employee was treated for a mild reaction on Wednesday and sent home after about an hour.
Alaska’s chief medical officer, Anne Zink, told the news center that multiple entities – including the state, the hospital and the Food and Drug Administration – are both investigating incidents to see if the incidents were reactions to the vaccine itself or if it was a problem with the shipment .
The US began vaccinating health workers and residents of long-term care facilities with Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine shortly after the FDA issued it an emergency use permit.
Company said Thursday that it has successfully shipped 2.9 million doses and is waiting for the US government to tell them where to send the remaining doses.
Meanwhile, an independent FDA panel voted unanimously to recommend an emergency use permit for Moderna’s vaccine, making approval likely as early as this week.
General Gustave Perna, chief of Operation Warp Speed, said it plans to ship 6 million doses within the first week of authorization.