Get Informed: Duke doctor with a history of severe allergies is given COVID-19 vaccine

DURHAM, NC (WTVD) – A Duke physician with a history of severe allergies who recently received her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is urging people like her to do their research and talk to their doctors about vaccination .

Dr. Leonor Corsino, an endocrinologist and Assoc. Prof. of Medicine at Duke, told ABC11 that she had done her research before choosing to get vaccinated and found that the benefits far outweigh the risks.

“There are many reasons why,” she said. “One of them is obvious because I wanted to get vaccinated to protect myself and protect my patients.”

Many of the patients treated on a weekly basis by Corsino have diabetes and are at higher risk of serious illness if they contract the virus.

“Second, I believe in vaccination,” said Corsino. “I’ve always gotten my vaccines in the past. I trust science, myself as a researcher.”

According to the CDC Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, there have been seven reports of allergic reactions to the Pfizer vaccine and one to the Moderna vaccine in the US.

The CDC recently updated its guidelines, accordingly:

• People who are allergic to any ingredient in a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, including PEG or polysorbate, should not receive any of the COVID-19 vaccines currently available.
• If you have had a severe allergic reaction after receiving the first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, you should not receive the second dose.
• If you have had an immediate allergic reaction, even if it was not serious, to any ingredient in a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, you should not receive any of the currently available mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

In 2012, Corsino ended up in Duke’s emergency department, not knowing what triggered the anaphylactic reaction that prompted her to now always wear an Epipen.

When she was tapped to receive the Pfizer vaccine during the early days of the release at Duke, she declined.

“But after seeing more than 2 million healthcare providers receive the vaccine in the past few weeks, and looking at the number of cases reported, I feel more comfortable,” she said.

So after her research, Corsino received her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on December 28.

“Actually, I didn’t have much worries, no pain in my arm that I know some people have reported,” she said. “I had a little red in my ears and a little tired the next day. But after that I felt fine.”
As a member of Duke’s Latin-19, an advocacy team formed during the pandemic to reach out and help the Latino population through, Corsino said it was a more important reason for her to make the informed decision to get vaccinated.

“My goal as a Latina and an immigrant myself is to really educate my community so that they feel comfortable following the recommendations so that we don’t continue to lose valuable lives because of this pandemic that is affecting them so disproportionately,” she said .

For now, Corsino said she encouraged others to do what she did.

“Read about it,” she said. ‘Get informed. Take the time to make the decision. ‘

She now looks forward to scheduling her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I’m not worried,” she said. ‘I have my Epipen. We know that anaphylaxis is something we can treat. And in that respect, I am confident that I will get my second dose. ‘