Photographer: Eric Lee / Bloomberg
Photographer: Eric Lee / Bloomberg
About 1 in 100,000 people have had a severe allergic reaction to the first Covid-19 vaccine, a rate that is higher than the flu vaccine, but still quite rare, US health officials said.
A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Wednesday highlighted 21 cases of anaphylaxis among the first 1.9 million beneficiaries of Pfizer Inc. vaccine, a rate of 11.1 per million doses administered. No deaths from anaphylaxis have been reported, the CDC said.
The CDC said it saw the reactions to the beneficiaries Moderna Inc. has also shot up to 29 confirmed cases of anaphylaxis so far between the two vaccines. However, the CDC follows its recommendation that most people should continue to receive vaccines, saying the risks around the vaccine are less than the risk of having a severe case of Covid-19.
Even in 11 cases per million doses administered it is a very safe vaccine, said Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “I continue to believe that the risk of Covid and the risk of poor results, especially in the elderly, make it imperative that people go ahead and get vaccinated as soon as they are available.”
The only exceptions pointed out by the CDC are people with a known allergy to vaccine ingredients and people who have had a reaction to the first dose of a Covid vaccine.
However, Messonnier stressed that those with a history of allergic reactions to drugs and severe allergic reactions from any cause should be observed for half an hour after the shootings, and providers should be prepared with allergic reactions such as EpiPen.
Regulators are closely monitoring the safety of Covid-19 vaccines as they are launched, she added, noting that “we do not see the worrying signals. The only thing I’ve seen is these severe allergic reactions. “
Established model
Severe allergic reactions to vaccines are an established phenomenon, although less common. They occur approximately 1.3 times per million doses of influenza vaccine, and with other vaccines have been observed at rates of 12 to 25 per million doses, although studies have been small.
Many safety issues after vaccination are also accidental, Messonnier noted, saying, “the vaccine is not always the cause.”
The severe allergic reactions seen with the early Covid-19 vaccines did not significantly affect distribution plans, Messonnier said.
Of the patients who had severe allergic reactions to the Pfizer vaccine, four had to be hospitalized and the rest were treated in the emergency room. CDC officials said all 20 patients had information about their recovery.
“It’s an unusual complication. It’s reversible and treatable, “said Anthony Fauci, the government’s chief infectious disease doctor, during an online event at the Washington DC Economic Club.