New York City reported its first “significant allergic reaction” to a health care worker who received the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday, the only adverse response he has received from more than 30,000 shots so far.
The worker was treated and is in a stable condition, city officials said. Allergic reactions to the Pfizer vaccine have been reported in clinical trials since the FDA approved emergency use earlier this month, but remain rare.
Health officials say they are closely following reports of more severe side effects in collaboration with the CDC. In the meantime, it will continue to move forward with the distribution of vaccines to ensure that front-line workers and nursing home residents and staff are protected from the virus, health officials said in a statement.
No specific details were immediately available on the allergic response of the affected worker. The city did not release any additional information on the case at the COVID briefing by Mayor Bill de Blasio, citing privacy rules.
“Vaccines, including the COVID vaccine, are generally safe,” Dr. Dave Chokshi, the city’s health commissioner, said during the briefing. “For the vast majority of people with allergies, the COVID vaccine will be safe and effective for you.”
People who have a history of allergic reactions to any type of vaccine or any type of injection should have conversations with their doctors before receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, Chokshi added.
Rare allergic reactions were reported in the UK before the launch of Pfizer / BioNTech in the US, which has since reported similar, less common reactions. Three of them involved Alaska health workers.
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Earlier this week, an official at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CNBC that the United States is studying why some people suffered severe allergic reactions after taking the photos.
The study, which is still in its early planning stages, is expected to include “several hundred” people with a history of severe allergic reactions, Alkis Togias, head of NIAID’s allergy, asthma and respiratory biology branch, told CNBC. While rare reactions have been reported by people who have been shot with Pfizer, the study could look at vaccines made by both Pfizer and Moderna.
The hope is to get her off the field in a few weeks, officials told CNBC.