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UK Regulators Warned Severe Allergy Sufferers to Avoid the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine, after two NHS (National Health Service) workers were afflicted by anaphylactoid reactions after receiving the Pfizer vaccine shots. Both workers have a history of serious allergies that they carry Epipens for. Both workers are said to be recovering well.
Anaphylactoid reactions, which can include a skin rash or breathlessness, aren't as severe as actual anaphylaxis, which can be fatal. That said, the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued the following warning:
“Any person with a history of a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food (such as previous history of anaphylactoid reaction or those who have been advised to carry an adrenaline autoinjector) should not receive the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine. Resuscitation facilities should be available at all times for all vaccinations. Vaccination should only be carried out in facilities where resuscitation measures are available.”
Unlike some vaccines, the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine doesn't use any preservatives or egg products, which sometimes trigger allergic reactions. This makes the two allergic reactions in the UK puzzling to some.
Others point out that the emergence of a few allergic reactions shouldn't be all that surprising, since clinical trials of the vaccine specifically excluded participants with any history of severe adverse reaction associated with a vaccine or severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to any component of the study interventions.
If the U.S. FDA issues a similar warning in its approval of the Pfizer vaccine, it could significantly reduce the number of Americans who can safely take the vaccine, since 3-4 million Americans carry EpiPens or similar epinephrine devices due to one or more life-threatening allergies, and up to 50 million Americans have less severe allergies.
The Mayo Clinic's Dr. Gregory Poland, who heads the clinic's Vaccine Research Group, believes the UK regulators overreacted. In his view, only those who have had anaphylactic shock reactions to other vaccines should avoid the Pfizer vaccine. Those who have severe allergies to something other than a vaccine should still be allowed to receive the COVID-19 shot.
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