UK Warns People With Allergy History Not To Take Pfizer’s COVID Shot

In just the first day of its mass inoculation program, two patients in the United Kingdom suffered an allergic reaction to the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. Based on the cases, the country has recommended [people with “significant” allergic reactions not to get Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.

On Wednesday, UK regulators issued a warning, stating that people who have a history of “significant” allergic reactions should not currently receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. This decision comes after two NHS staff members who had the jab yesterday experienced allergic reactions.

Source: Dawn

The duo who faced allergic reactions to the vaccine needed treatment for an “anaphylactoid reaction” on Tuesday, but reports cite that the duo is on the road to recovery. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) immediately issued precautionary advice against vaccinating anyone with a history of “significant” allergic reactions to medicines, food, or vaccines, the paper said.

“Two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday,” said professor Stephen Powis, the national medical director for the NHS in England, saying that “both are recovering well. The MHRA has advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination,” he said, insisting that the advice was “common with new vaccines.”

Source: CNBC.com

The NHS has also instructed all trusts involved with the vaccination program that from Wednesday, all patients scheduled to receive the Pfizer vaccine will be asked if they have a history of allergic reactions.

A spokeswoman for Pfizer said its vaccine was “well-tolerated” during the trials, with “no serious safety concerns. She said, “We have been advised by MHRA of two yellow card reports that may be associated with allergic reaction due to administration of the COVID-19 BNT162b2 vaccine.” Pfizer and BioNTech are supporting the MHRA in the investigation, also adding, “In the pivotal phase three clinical trial, this vaccine was generally well tolerated with no serious safety concerns reported by the independent Data Monitoring Committee. The trial has enrolled over 44,000 participants to date, over 42,000 of whom have received a second vaccination.”