RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Six people have developed a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis after receiving the covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, said the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) on Saturday, December 19th.
Some 113,000 people have already been vaccinated, according to the CDC, which is studying the reports of patients who presented some form of symptom after administration.
The agency said it is investigating the cause for the allergic reactions and how the six cases may be linked. Some of the individuals are from Alaska, but others are from other places, said Tom Clark, a CDC official who submitted data to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) whose members met yesterday to vote on another vaccine manufactured by Moderna.
The people affected are all adults under 65, and most have been hospitalized, promptly treated, and monitored, Clark said. The doses they received related to more than one production line, he added, suggesting that the reactions were not the result of a localized manufacturing problem. The CDC learned of all cases quickly through federal vaccine safety monitoring systems, said Clark.
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Of the 112,807 people immunized registered in the health monitoring system by Friday, 3,150 reported symptoms after vaccination that prevented them from performing daily or labor activities. Most do not require medical care, Clark said, adding that the CDC is studying the reports for further details.
The ACIP endorsed the use of the Moderna vaccine on people aged 18 and older on Saturday, with panel members saying the benefits of inoculation outweighed the risks, considering that thousands of deaths were occurring daily in the U.S.
UK opened investigation
UK regulators said last week that people with a “significant history” of allergic reactions should not be administered Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine. The recommendation should continue while local authorities investigate two cases of allergic reactions that occurred on the first day of mass vaccination in the country. The alert may lead American and European authorities to restrict immunization to people without a history of severe allergic reactions.