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WASHINGTON (NYTIMES) – A healthcare worker in Alaska had a severe allergic reaction after receiving the coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer on Tuesday (December 15) and remained hospitalized Wednesday morning under observation.
The middle-aged worker had no history of allergies, but had an anaphylactic reaction that began 10 minutes after receiving the vaccine at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Alaska, a hospital official said. The reaction included redness and shortness of breath.
With millions of Americans expected to be vaccinated by the end of the year, the incident is likely prompting federal officials to be even more vigilant for any signs of serious side effects.
The Alaskan woman’s reaction is believed to have been similar to the anaphylactic reactions that two healthcare workers in Britain experienced after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last week. They both recovered.
The Pfizer trial in the United States involving more than 40,000 people found no serious adverse events caused by the vaccine, although many participants experienced pain, fever and other side effects.
Serious allergic reactions to vaccines are usually related to the vaccine because of its timing.
A Pfizer spokesperson, Jerica Pitts, said the company does not yet have full details of the case, but is working with local health authorities.
The vaccine comes with information advising that medical treatment should be available in the event of a rare anaphylactic event, he said. “We will closely monitor all reports suggesting serious allergic reactions after vaccination and update the label language if necessary,” said Pitts.
Pfizer officials have said the two Britons who had the reaction had a history of severe allergies.
In the United States, federal regulators issued a broad authorization for the vaccine Friday to adults 16 and older. Healthcare providers were warned not to administer the vaccine to anyone with a “known history of a severe allergic reaction” to any component of the vaccine, which they said was a standard warning for vaccines.
But because of the British cases, Food and Drug Administration officials have said they would require Pfizer to increase its monitoring for anaphylaxis and submit data on it once the vaccine goes into use.
Pfizer also said it is recommended that the vaccine be administered in settings that have access to equipment to control anaphylaxis.
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