A Boston doctor with a history of allergies had a severe allergic reaction to the Modern coronavirus vaccine.
Hossein Sadrzadeh told CNN that, after being vaccinated at Boston Medical Center on Thursday, he felt his heart rate increase to 150 beats per minute.
Sadrzadeh also told the press that in a few minutes he “felt in my tongue and throat, with a strange sensation of tingling and numbness, the same reaction I had before to the shellfish allergy.” He also said that his blood pressure dropped so low that the monitor could not detect it.
Sadrzadeh used EpiPen and was rushed to the emergency room where he was given medication, according to New York Times. He was released from care four hours later and told the newspaper he was fully recovered from Friday.
Hill contacted Boston Medical Center, the Modern and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for comments.
The incident is the first of its kind reported after the Moderna vaccine was approved by federal health agencies and distributed and comes as the FDA investigated several reports of allergic reactions to the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine.
Peter Marks, who heads the FDA Center for Biological Evaluation and Research, he said last weekend a chemical called polyethylene glycol, which is present in both vaccines, “could be to blame”.
At the time, the agency advised those who had had severe reactions to any component of the Moderna vaccine in the past not to receive the blow.
In light of allergic reactions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance advice those who have severe responses after the first dose should not receive a second blow. The agency also says that people who are allergic to vaccines or injectable therapies should consult their doctors before getting vaccinated.
However, the CDC notes that those with a history of severe allergic reactions unrelated to vaccines or injectable drugs – such as allergies to food, pets, or the environment – may still be vaccinated.
More than 1.94 million people have received their first dose of Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccine since Saturday afternoon, according to a CDC number.