A health worker from Alaska (USA) suffered a severe allergic reaction after receiving the Pfizer vaccine against covid-19 on Tuesday and had to be hospitalized, sources familiar with what happened to The Washington explained on Wednesday. Post and The New York Times.
The health worker, whose identity is unknown, had not previously suffered from allergic reactions to any medication, although it is not known if he had other types of allergies, a person with knowledge of the problem told the New York Times.
After receiving the vaccine on Tuesday, the affected person was still in hospital today, Wednesday, in stable condition, according to The Washington Post.
Neither Pfizer nor the Alaska authorities have yet provided details of the incident, reminiscent of two other similar cases in the UK, where two people with a history of severe allergies suffered a negative reaction to the vaccine developed by Pfizer and his partner. German BioNtech.
In response to what happened, the UK Medicines Agency issued a warning calling for all those who have had severe allergic reactions to medicines, some foods or other vaccines not to be vaccinated in the past.
However, in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) allows people with severe allergies to get vaccinated, but requires them to remain under medical supervision 30 minutes after the vaccine is given. injection in order to check for any side effects.
Last Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the body that regulates the marketing of drugs in the United States, approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine for all adults over the age of 16 after a rigorous examination to assess its risks and benefits.
Thus, on Monday the vaccination started in 145 parts of the country, while on Tuesday it was done in 425 and today in 66 on Wednesday, in a process that will continue for weeks.
The safety of the Pfizer vaccine has been tested in a clinical trial of 40,000 volunteers and is 95% effective.
For tomorrow, Thursday, an FDA advisory committee is expected to evaluate a second vaccine, that of the pharmaceutical company Moderna, whose emergency clearance could take place in the coming days.
The immunization campaign came at the worst moment of the pandemic for the United States, which has already surpassed 300,000 deaths caused by covid-19 and records 3,000 deaths a day, a figure higher than the number of people who lost their lives in the attacks of September 11, 2001.