“Find out”: Duke doctor with a history of severe allergies receives COVID-19 vaccine

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

Dr. Leonor Corsino, endocrinologist and associate professor Univ. Prof. medicine at Duke, told ABC11 that he did his research before choosing to get vaccinated and found that the benefits far outweighed the risks.

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

Many of the patients Corsino treats weekly have diabetes and have a higher risk of serious illness if they contract the virus.

“Secondly, I believe in vaccination,” Corsino said. “I’ve always received all my vaccines in the past. I trust science as an investigator.”

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 United States.

The CDC has 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 currently available COVID-19 vaccines.
• If you have had a severe allergic reaction after receiving the first dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, you should not receive the second dose.
• If you have had an immediate, even if not severe, allergic reaction to any ingredient in a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, you should not receive any of the currently available vaccines for COVID-19 mRNA.

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

When she was intercepted to get the Pfizer vaccine in the early days of her launch at Duke, she refused.

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

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

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

“My goal as a Latino and immigrant is to educate my community so that it feels easy to follow the recommendations, so we do not continue to lose valuable lives because of this pandemic that affects them so disproportionately,” she said. .

For now, Corsino said he encourages others to do what he did.

“Read about it,” she said. “Find out. Take the time to make your decision.”

He is now looking forward to scheduling his second dose of 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 regard, I feel confident in receiving the second dose.”