U.S. Health officials said Saturday, closely monitoring the possible side effects of the first official COVID-19 vaccine, that they have seen at least six cases of severe allergic reactions from more than a quarter of a million shots given – an Illinois hospital told to stop vaccinations.
Medical experts say a chemical called polyethylene glycol (PEG), commonly used in laxatives, could be the ‘culprit’ that causes the reactions.
PEG is a component in the Pfizer vaccine as well as the official Moderna ink vaccine on Friday.
But the Food and Drug Administration says most Americans with allergies should be safe to receive the vaccine. He says only people who have previously had severe allergic reactions to the vaccine or ingredients in this particular vaccine should avoid taking shots.
Garfield Medical Center frontline health care workers receive the first dose of the Pfizer CVD-19 vaccine on Friday in a pop-up tent outside their main facility in Monterey Park, California.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it has seen at least six cases of severe allergic reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and Bionettech. Vaccine vials are found on Friday in Pinelas Park, Florida
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said more than 272,000 shots of the Pfizer vaccine were delivered nationwide as of Saturday morning.
As of Friday night, half a dozen cases of allergic reaction had been reported, including one person with a history of vaccine reactions.
A medical facility in Illinois temporarily stopped COVID-19 vaccination after four healthcare workers gave adverse reactions to the shot.
Advocate Kendall Medical Center in Libertyville stopped vaccinations on Friday and will resume on Sunday.
Reports from ABC reports that unsuspecting employees reacted include tingling and elevated heart rates a few moments after being vaccinated.
“Around 3,000 members of these four teams have been vaccinated at Advocate Aurora Health, representing less than 0.15%,” a statement said.
While three staff are recovering at home while a fourth is undergoing additional treatment.
The advocate shared that he would use the time to determine what might have caused the reactions.
Eight other Illinois advocates are still receiving vaccinations at Rora Health Sciences and three in Wisconsin.
Advocate Kendall Medical Center in Libertyville, Illinois, stopped vaccinations on Friday and will resume on Sunday after four medical staff reported an adverse reaction.
Three health care workers in Alaska were in need of medical treatment after being vaccinated earlier this week when inoculation was stopped after four employees reported adverse reactions at a suburban Chicago hospital.
Health officials are watching for such side effects.
U.S. vaccinators hang around after their injections if they show signs of allergy.
The CDC said all cases have occurred in the recommended inspection window and immediate treatment is provided.
The numbers were discussed at a meeting of the committee advising the CDC on vaccines.
The group endorsed Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, which was approved for emergency on Friday.
Less serious side effects are also rare.
D Bi. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told a news conference that allergic reactions to PEG may be something more common than previously thought.
Of the first 215,000 people vaccinated in the United States, less than 1.5 percent have problems that make them unable to perform their normal activities or require medical care.
Medical experts said a chemical called polyethylene glycol (PEG), commonly used in laxatives, could be the ‘culprit’ that causes reactions.
Many vaccines can cause temporary discomfort, such as sore throat or certain flu-like symptoms.
Covid-19 vaccines cause more reactions than flu shots, and some hospitals are being surprised at the time their employees are vaccinated to avoid problems.
A clinician based in Fairbanks, Alaska, who suffered anaphylactic symptoms after being given the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine has become the third health care worker in the state to experience an adverse reaction to a new drug, a hospital said Friday.
The clinician, whose name was not released, began showing symptoms about 10 minutes after inoculation on Thursday, according to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital’s operator Operator Foundation Health Partners.
The health care worker was treated with epinephrine in the hospital’s emergency room and was released about six hours later, Foundation Health Partners said in a written statement.
Two health care workers in Junau suffered adverse reactions to the drugs earlier this week.
One was soon hospitalized for anaphylaxis in that city after being vaccinated on Tuesday.
Another had a mild reaction on Wednesday and was treated in the hospital’s emergency room and released.
Foundation Health Partners: Chief Medical Officer Dr. “Allergic reactions, although uncommon, can be caused by injections of drugs and vaccines,” Angelique Ramirez said in a statement.
The Fairbank clinician issued his statement which was included in the publication of Foundation Health Partners.
‘I will get this vaccine and recommend it to anyone, despite my reaction, to help our country get vaccinated, for the health of all Americans, in the economy, for families to be reunited, for children to return to school, and for the country on the other side of this epidemic. Deliver, ‘said the health worker.
Alaska received the first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine on Sunday evening, state officials said.
Bheshes have been sent across the state, with floatplanes and boats being sent to more remote locations.
The cases in Alaska were similar to the two cases reported in Britain last week.
Britain’s medical regulator has said that anyone with a history of anaphylaxis, or a severe allergic reaction to a drug or food, should not be given the Pfizer-bionate COVID-19 vaccine.
On Friday, the FDA said Moderna vaccine should not be given to individuals with a known history of severe allergic reactions to any of the components of the shot.
The regulator also requires that appropriate medical treatment be available for immediate allergic reactions when a shot is given in case of an anaphylactic reaction.
Pfizer could not immediately be reached for comment.
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