A Boston Medical Center hematology and oncology fellow developed a severe allergic reaction after taking a dose of the modern coronavirus vaccine on Thursday.
Dr. Hussein Sadrazadeh’s reaction appears to be the first known case related to the modern vaccine, The New York Times and CNN reported on Friday; A handful of allergic reactions related to the same Pfizer vaccine have also been reported in the United States.
Sadrazadeh, who has a severe shellfish allergy, said he had a heart attack shortly after being vaccinated at the hospital on Thursday afternoon. At first, he felt it was just stress or discomfort.
But within minutes he noticed that his tongue and throat were tingling and numb. He sweated a lot, went pale and was very cold. He described it as the worst allergic reaction he had experienced since he was 11 years old.
Sadrazadeh got ready. He brought his personal epiphany with him for a vaccine appointment and used it after the allergic reaction started. He was monitored by a nurse when the allergic reaction began, a hospital statement said, and was taken to the emergency department for evaluation, treatment and inspection.
Sadrazadeh said it would look normal again by Friday morning.
“I think if I didn’t have my epipane, I’d be introverted right now, because it was so serious.”
A health care worker with a history of severe allergies in Mauni had a reaction to the Pfizer vaccine earlier this week, and federal regulators have observed several other reported allergic reactions.
Most of the side effects seen in modern clinical studies – ulcers, fever, headaches and fatigue – are considered mild or moderate, but not dangerous. A relatively small number of people experienced more serious adverse events.
Sadrazadeh said he hopes his story will encourage anyone else with a history of allergies to be equipped with information before they get vaccinated – and bring their epipane with them when they get vaccinated.
He also recommended that people with allergies be given their coronavirus vaccine in a hospital setting, rather than a community provider.
“I really want people to take this seriously, people who have severe allergic reactions. I want them to talk to their doctors, their allergists. I want him to take his epiphany if he is at home and let the person who is giving the injection know that he has a serious allergic reaction. “I knew the symptoms. I experienced them. I was a therapist, and I was scared to death. Imagine someone who has no information.”
Sadrajadeh also reached out to Moderna to offer him a blood sample in an attempt to find out which ingredient in his vaccine could cause an allergic reaction in some people.
He said, ‘I don’t really want anyone to go and experience this and go through this event that I have.’
Felicia Gains can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter ElFeliciaGans.
