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- Boston physician Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh said Thursday that he had a severe allergic reaction when receiving the COVID-19 injection from Moderna.
- He told the New York Times that he felt dizzy and his heart started racing shortly after receiving the injection. They took him to the emergency department and then released him, and now he’s fine.
- It is believed to be the first documented case of a severe allergy related to Moderna’s vaccine, which was recently cleared by US regulators.
- Some allergic reactions have been reported to the injection of Pfizer and BioNTech, the only other vaccine licensed for emergency use in the US.
- Moderna said it would investigate the matter.
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A Boston doctor said Thursday that he had a severe allergic reaction when receiving Moderna’s COVID-19 injection, which was recently cleared for emergency use in the US.
Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh, a geriatric oncologist at Boston Medical Center, told the New York Times that he felt dizzy and his heart began to race almost immediately after receiving the injection.
A Boston Medical Center spokesperson told the Times that Dr. Sadrzadeh was “allowed to self-administer his personal EpiPen,” an adrenaline auto-injector used in allergic emergencies, and was then taken to the emergency department, where he was evaluated and treated. . , observed and discharged. “He is doing well today,” the spokesman said.
Dr. Sadrzadeh has a severe allergy to shellfish, which is why he carries an EpiPen.
It is believed to be the first documented case of a severe allergy related to Moderna’s vaccine, which the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted an emergency use authorization on December 19. The vaccine began rolling out Monday.
A handful of people have had allergic reactions to the Pfizer and BioNTech injection, which is the only other COVID-19 vaccine licensed for use in the U.S. Regulators in the UK, where the injection was also approved, told In early December anyone with a history of “significant” food or drug allergies should avoid the current Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, after two people had reactions.
Reactions to Pfizer’s injection do not appear to be life-threatening, and data suggests that the vaccine is safe for the vast majority of people with allergies.
Moderna spokesman Ray Jordan told the Times on Thursday that the company could not comment. On Friday, he said Moderna’s medical security team would investigate the matter.
The FDA declined to comment with the Times.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Tom Skinner said the agency would release new information on reactions to vaccines starting next week.
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Moderna’s vaccine, which was designed in just two days, began reaching Americans earlier this week. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, was among those who received their first injection of the two-dose vaccine.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are very similar in terms of safety and efficacy. There may be slight differences in how they work in older people, but experts say more data is needed.
Because Pfizer’s vaccine must be stored at extremely cold temperatures, it will be distributed in larger institutions, while Moderna’s vaccine is more likely to reach smaller clinics and pharmacies.
